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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24426811">let me give you my life</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/caeos/pseuds/caeos'>caeos</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>5+1 Things, Beach Volleyball, Childhood Friends, Coming Out, Friends to Lovers, Future Fic, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pro Volleyball Player Iwaizumi Hajime, Pro Volleyball Player Oikawa Tooru, Rating May Change, oof that's a lot of tags</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 07:28:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>20,000</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24426811</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/caeos/pseuds/caeos</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times Oikawa and Iwaizumi try to propose + the one time they get it right</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, side matsuhana</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>282</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hello again friends, time for my biannual pilgrimage onto ao3 to offer my apologies for being the most sporadic fic writer ever lmao<br/>but this is a long one (for me at least) so i think i've atoned, please enjoy!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>1 -</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa was six years old when it first happened, sat in a lime green plastic chair with his feet dangling in the paddling pool outside. Other kids were rushing about in the yard around him, swiping scraps from the snack table and chasing after one another with grubby, outstretched hands.<br/>
In his opinion they were being far too loud, plus it was way too hot to be running around like that -- Oikawa wouldn’t want to play with them even if they <em>had</em> asked him.<br/>
<br/>
No, this was just fine. Cooling his feet in the pool. All alone.<br/>
<br/>
“Hi, sweetheart,” a warm voice said, blocking out his sunlight for a moment as the looming figure crouched down beside him. “Enjoying the pool?” She asked, Oikawa hummed noncommittally in response.<br/>
<br/>
The woman was short in stature but stout, with olive skin and dark hair, broad shoulders visible beneath her white tank top -- she looked like she could pop Oikawa’s head off with one bicep. He sat up a little straighter in response.<br/>
<br/>
“Do you not want to play with the other kids, sweetheart?” The woman prompted.<br/>
<br/>
“Don’t call me sweetheart,” Oikawa said through a scowl that only deepened when the woman laughed, surprised.<br/>
<br/>
“Ahah, quite an attitude! Sorry, what would you like me to call you?” She corrected, falling back to sit cross-legged beside him.<br/>
<br/>
“Tooru, Oikawa!” He exclaimed, pointedly sticking his tongue out and crossing his arms over his chest.<br/>
<br/>
“Well, <em>Tooru,</em> I think I’d have a little more fun if I were playing with my friends, don’t you?” She asked, Oikawa’s frown contorted into one of confusion, shoulders slouching from about his ears. “Why don’t you go play with Hajime? It’s his birthday party after all, I’m sure he’d love to meet you.”<br/>
<br/>
As he followed her outstretched hand a glare caught in his eye, sunlight reflected on the golden band on her hand.<br/>
<br/>
“Whoa, what’s that?!” Oikawa asked, enraptured.<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, my wedding ring?” The woman smiled fondly, offering her hand to Tooru who spun the band about her finger enthusiastically. <br/>
<br/>
“What’s a wedding?” He blabbered, utterly enthralled by the glistening metal.<br/>
<br/>
“Well erm- when two people like each other very much and want to spend the rest of their lives together they sometimes have them, a wedding, I mean,” she explained.<br/>
Bringing a hand up to his chin, Oikawa pouted thoughtfully, finger tapping at his cheek.<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, like my mom and dad, they’re married!” He said in realisation.<br/>
<br/>
“Yes!” She replied, seemingly thrilled he understood. “And then they might decide to have a baby just like you, or like-” she paused, eyes scanning over the yard, searching for someone. “IWAIZUMI HAJIME YOU PUT THAT BIRD DOWN RIGHT NOW!”<br/>
<br/>
This time Oikawa followed her accusing point to its subject of interest. On the far side of the yard was another boy, all alone like Tooru, save for the bird clenched in his skyward fist.<br/>
Oikawa understood a little more now -- having a baby must include shrinking and cloning yourself because this boy was almost the stranger's double. His eyes were wide, settled somewhere between brown and green with dark hair sticking at odd angles like his mother had just hacked off whatever she could her hands on, and he, most notably, was missing one of his front teeth.<br/>
<br/>
Startled by his mother’s outburst, he released his grip on the startled animal which fluttered off to safety whilst he himself scampered beneath the cover of the snack table. Scuttling to the end before his mother could catch him, he dove out, splashing down into the paddling pool and drenching an unsuspecting Oikawa.<br/>
<br/>
“Hey!” Oikawa yelled in distress.<br/>
<br/>
“Oh I-” the boy stammered, scratching the back of his head sheepishly, soaked t-shirt weighed down by a large <em>‘birthday boy’</em> badge. “Sorry!”<br/>
<br/>
Oikawa sniffled, lower lip pushed out in his deepest pout -- he hadn’t even <em>wanted</em> to come to this stupid party to begin with. This was the worst day <em>ever!</em><br/>
<br/>
“No, no, wait!” The other boy blurted, flapping his hands out as if to waft away the tears that were welling up in Oikawa’s eyes. His dark eyes searched the area about them with urgency, picking up a volleyball that was bobbing languidly in the water. “Watch! Toss this for me!”<br/>
<br/>
He was holding out the ball in both hands, insistent -- a big, toothy (save for the gap) grin on his face.<br/>
<br/>
“Toss?” Oikawa sniffled, the threat of tears not yet completely off the table.<br/>
<br/>
The boy stammered again, placing the ball back in the water and making an odd motion with his arms -- both palms held above his head, fingertips pushing into the open air. “Like that!” He asserted.<br/>
<br/>
Oikawa grumbled but did as he instructed.<br/>
<br/>
Suddenly, the boy leapt up from the water, arm reeling back and smacking the ball mid-air, sending it sailing across the garden and taking out the legs from beneath one of the kids that had teased Oikawa earlier in the day — he laughed so hard he wasn’t even bothered when the other boy touched down, sending another tidal wave splashing over them both.<br/>
The birthday boy, on the other hand, seemed suitably alarmed — hurdling over Oikawa and hiding behind his chair as a hoard of concerned adults swarmed in on the wailing child.<br/>
<br/>
“Whoops,” he snickered, finally emerging from around Oikawa’s shoulder. The laughter fell from between them, the other boy squatting down beside Oikawa, swirling his fingers through the pool water. “How come you're sitting here all by yourself?” He asked, looking up to Oikawa inquisitively as he spoke.<br/>
<br/>
“The other kids wouldn’t let me play with them,” Oikawa admitted, tucking a section of his overgrown fringe behind his ear. “They said I was too young; I’m the same age as them!!” He snapped, balling his hands into fists.<br/>
<br/>
“It’s probably because you’re short,” the boy shrugged, getting to his feet.<br/>
<br/>
<em>Short?! I’ll show him.</em> Oikawa leapt to his feet, finding himself eye level… with the boy’s shoulders.<br/>
<br/>
“But I don’t mind!” He said through a beaming smile, slapping one palm over his chest. “It’s my birthday party, so if I say they have to play with you too then they have to!”<br/>
<br/>
Oikawa blushed, mumbling a bashful thank you.<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, I’m Iwaizumi Hajime, by the way,” he held out his hand, awaiting a handshake.<br/>
<br/>
“Iwa-z- Iwaizm- Iwa-” Oikawa stumbled over his name a few more times before huffing. “Iwa-chan.”<br/>
<br/>
Iwaizumi blinked a few times, taken aback, before that sunshine smile overtook his face again. “Your name’s Oikawa right? Your dad’s my swimming coach!” He explained, waving over at Tooru’s father who was stood chatting with a few of the other parents.<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah,” Oikawa confirmed, mumbling a quiet <em>‘Tooru’</em> after a moment's thought, though he wasn’t even sure if Hajime caught it.<br/>
<br/>
Iwaizumi’s grip was crushing as they shook hands but Oikawa refused to let go, in the end Iwaizumi just slumped onto the grass, pulling Oikawa down beside him. Neither were keen to be the first to lessen their grip on one another. <br/>
<br/>
His fingers were sticky but Oikawa didn’t mind.<br/>
<br/>
“I saw you talking to my mom before,” Iwaizumi began, picking daisies out from the grass and stacking them on Oikawa’s knee as Oikawa wound them in a bracelet about his wrist. “What did she say?”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, she was talking about her wedding.” Hajime grimaced, <em>ew, parent PDA.</em> “My parents are married too.”<br/>
<br/>
“Yours too?!” Iwaizumi whined, seemingly upset. He fell silent, pausing his assault on the local flora as he chewed at his lip thoughtfully. “I want to be married too. You’ll marry me, right?”<br/>
<br/>
Oikawa thought about that, <em>marrying Hajime.</em> Maybe if he asked very nicely his parents would let him. They had spent all day together now, Oikawa thought that forever didn’t sound like a long time at all if it was with Hajime. Even when Iwaizumi’s mean friends had told him to stop hanging out with that ‘crybaby’ Iwaizumi had just thrown a great heap of grass into their faces and told them to get lost.<br/>
But then another thought crossed his mind -- if Hajime was just a small clone of his mother would their kid be an <em>even smaller</em> clone of Hajime? Oikawa wasn’t sure if he liked that mental image.<br/>
<br/>
Oikawa hummed, shaking his head. “No. I think you’re too ugly for me to marry.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>2 -</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Luckily, it seemed a failed marriage proposal wasn’t enough to undo their budding friendship, in fact it only cemented their evolving partnership moving into first school and passing all the way through until their final year of middle school.<br/>
<br/>
“You'll never leave me, will you, Iwa-chan?” Oikawa asked, jabbing a stick into the back of Iwaizumi’s thigh as his best friend clambered up into the tree that had swallowed their volleyball.<br/>
<br/>
“What kind of dumb question is that?” Iwaizumi replied gruffly, pausing his ascent only to rebuff Oikawa’s attacks with a kick. They were wasting precious recess time with this rescue mission, he didn’t need Oikawa delaying it any more.<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t know...” Oikawa hummed, smacking the branches of the tree in hopes they’d give up their ball. An assault the tree weathered with ease. “I’ve just been thinking-”<br/>
<br/>
“That’s a first,” Iwaizumi snickered.<br/>
<br/>
“Mean! Anyway,” Oikawa huffed, leaning his back up against the tree. He was spinning a daisy chain about his wrist, Iwaizumi had stopped wearing them for him at school — he said it was because a teacher had told him off for sporting one in class but Oikawa knew the truth. Some of the older boys had teased him for wearing it. Iwaizumi never cared what people thought about him... Oikawa didn't know why this was different. “We’ll be going off to high school soon, do you know where you’re going?”<br/>
<br/>
“Same as you, Aoba Johsai-” and after a pause, “probably.”<br/>
<br/>
“Probably?”<br/>
<br/>
“My parents make those kinds of decisions, I’ll <em>probably</em> be going to Aoba Johsai,” Iwaizumi uttered, hidden up between the leaves and blossoms.<br/>
<br/>
“So you don’t care if we get separated?” Oikawa said with urgency. Iwaizumi’s head popped out from beneath the canopy, brow furrowed, shaking the loose flowers from his hair.<br/>
<br/>
“I- I don’t-” he huffed, exasperated. “What has gotten into you? What does it matter what school I go to?”<br/>
<br/>
“Because I’d <em>miss</em> you…” Oikawa admitted, looking up from the shower of blossoms that Iwaizumi shook down on him, haloing his confession like something from a movie.<br/>
<br/>
Looking back up into the tree, then down at Oikawa again, Iwaizumi sighed and offered a hand down. “C’mere.”<br/>
<br/>
Iwaizumi's grip was firm and steady as ever, the familiarity of their touch made their hands feel as though they were meant to hold each other, no doubt left in the surety of their grasp as Oikawa was pulled up into the branches. There was a gentle breeze passing through the leaves, an easy rustling of the wind whistling through the branches. It was peaceful up here and Iwaizumi was basked in a warm, pink glow as sunlight filtered through the flowers.<br/>
<br/>
“Do you remember your sixth birthday?” Oikawa asked, trying to dull the hopeful tone in his voice.<br/>
<br/>
“Are you kidding me? I caught a bird out of mid air, it was the best day of my life!” Oikawa kicked him in the shins for his trouble, nearly pushing himself straight out of the tree with the momentum.<br/>
<br/>
“I meant <em>meeting me.</em>”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh yeah, that was pretty cool too.” A mischievous grin stretched across his face, as insincere as he tried to be there was a glisten in his eye that said, <em>"of course I remember, dumbass."</em><br/>
<br/>
“You asked me to marry you,” Oikawa giggled as Iwaizumi flushed red, that kind of blush that started in his cheeks and stained his whole body in bright pink pigment.<br/>
<br/>
“And I nearly killed a child, it wasn’t my finest hour,” Iwaizumi mumbled, averting his gaze.<br/>
<br/>
“I should have said yes,” Oikawa laughed again but it was softer this time, sadder. “If we were married then we could stay together, no matter what.”<br/>
<br/>
Oikawa looked shyly to Hajime, his eyes were blown wide, cheeks darkening by the second at Oikawa’s admission. His skin was dark and speckled with freckles, as it always was in spring, anyone else might have missed the blush — but Tooru wasn’t just anyone.<br/>
<br/>
“Tooru,” he laughed, though it sounded forced. “Like I’d want forever with <em>you.</em>”<br/>
<br/>
It was a joke — Oikawa knew that, he wasn’t upset because of that, he’d never asked Hajime to be gentle with him. He didn’t need <em>pity,</em> Tooru himself certainly didn’t pull his punches when they got into the nitty-gritty of their verbal tussles. And yet…<br/>
<br/>
“Hey,” Iwaizumi tapped beneath his chin with one finger, making him raise his head. “Give me your hand.” Though he didn’t really give him a choice, taking Oikawa’s palm and sliding that daisy chain from Tooru's wrist onto his own, admiring how the petals looked against his skin.<br/>
<br/>
“Hey, that’s mine!” Oikawa objected, nearly losing his balance as he reached out to yank it back -- Iwaizumi snatched the chain out of his reach and kicked out a leg to stabilize him.<br/>
<br/>
“Well...” Iwaizumi began, his smile wide and carefree. The flowers almost glowed with white light in the dark about them as Iwaizumi rested his head back on his interlocked fingers. “You made it for <em>me,</em> didn’t you?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>you get two chapters in one because i am a kind and benevolent writer and also because these are the two shortest sections of this piece and splitting them would just be more work for me lmao<br/>thanks for reading, hope you're all staying safe and well 💕</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>3 -</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>“Hey,” Oikawa mumbled, kicking Hanamaki’s leg lightly. “Hey!” He kicked again, this time with<em> feeling.<br/>
<br/>
</em>“What?” Makki asked, finally pulling off the candy in his mouth with a loud <em> pop</em>.</p><p>They were sat outside the gym at lunch, it was one of the few places that cast a large enough shadow to shelter from the leftover summer heat. <em> Seriously, </em> when did <em> September </em> turn into <em> July?!<br/>
<br/>
</em>Usually they’d have been chased off by either the coach or janitor by now but, being in their third year, the staff had thankfully grown more lenient with them. Which was good for them because they were all sweating bullets, Oikawa was already three buttons down from his collar and still the cool air was doing nothing for his feverish temperature. </p><p>It seemed that Iwaizumi hadn’t got the message though, if Oikawa had to sit all by himself and listen to Makki and Mattsun slurp on their ring-pops for one second longer he was going to throttle them.</p><p>“Gimme one,” Oikawa said, making grabby hands for the packet poking out of Hanamaki’s school bag and dodging the kick that Makki tried to deter him with.</p><p>“No! I haven’t got enough to share,” Makki reasoned, going back to happily sucking on the candy ring on his finger.</p><p>“You gave one to Mattsun!” Oikawa whined. Though as Matsukawa swirled his tongue about the blue raspberry flavoured jewel he couldn’t vouch for how innocent Makki’s intentions had been.</p><p>Hanamaki seemed to catch on to this too, blushing as Oikawa raised his eyebrows suggestively. “Hey, <em> Mattsun, </em>” he cooed, making Makki’s eyes widen in fear.</p><p>Matsukawa pulled off his ring-pop with a lewd popping sound, blue-stained tongue just poking out over his lips, humming in response -- blissfully unaware.</p><p>“Fine, fine! You can have one, just not strawberry, that’s my favourite,” Makki conceded, nodding reluctantly as Oikawa picked out an apple flavour. </p><p>“What’s up, nerds?” Iwaizumi called, rounding the corner and mussing up Oikawa’s hair as he hurdled over Matsukawa’s legs.</p><p>“You’re late,” Makki noted, resting the ring-pop on his pink-stained lips. “Do you have some other friends we don’t know about or something?”</p><p>Iwaizumi snorted, shoving Makki’s face away as he leered in suspiciously. </p><p>“A couple of second-year girls asked me to help carry some books for them,” Iwaizumi shrugged, slipping out of his blazer and rolling up his shirt sleeves -- tie all but unravelled about his neck. It seemed he wasn’t immune to the heat either, wafting his shirt off his chest to get some air ventilation in there.</p><p>“That’s the second time this week,” Matsukawa pointed out, gesturing with his ring-pop poignantly. </p><p>Iwaizumi just shrugged again. “I guess they’re doing their end of term exams.”</p><p>“Or they have a crush on you and want to see those big strong arms in action?” Makki sang, flexing exaggeratedly as Matsukawa stifled a laugh.</p><p>“A crush? On <em> me?! </em>” Iwaizumi replied at the same time Oikawa exclaimed:</p><p>“On <em> him?!</em>”</p><p>“I don’t think that’s so weird,” Hanamaki hummed, taking another lick of his ring-pop. “You’ve blossomed into a very handsome young man.”</p><p>Evading another slap, Makki retreated a safe distance as Iwaizumi grumbled, “what are you? My mother?”</p><p>“I’m just making sure you don’t break any poor girl's heart, <em> Iwa-chan,</em>” Makki teased as Oikawa whined and draped himself over Hajime’s shoulders defensively. “And when you’re ready to pop the pretty little question-” Hanamaki paused, pulling another ring-pop from the bag and offering it up to Iwaizumi.</p><p>Scoffing, Iwaizumi batted it from his hand, Makki swooping in and snatching it up before Oikawa could get his grubby little paws on it. Though, after a little whining and fluttering his eyelashes Hanamaki gave in, tearing open the wrapper and sliding the candy onto Oikawa’s ring finger.</p><p>“Oh, Makki, how forward!” Oikawa teased, admiring the candy jewel on his hand as Hanamaki realised his mistake. “Oh, to be tied down so young.”</p><p>“I wish someone would tie you down, save the rest of the world from the trouble,” Makki groaned, flopping down on the concrete steps.</p><p>“Oh, it’s far too late for that kind of talk, ring-pops are legally binding you know?” Oikawa grinned, dual-wielding both candy rings on either hand and wiggling his fingers dramatically. “What about you, Iwa-chan? Haven’t you fallen for my charm yet?”</p><p>“I’m one of the few people who doesn’t think the sun shines out of your ass, I’d like to keep it that way,” Iwaizumi grumbled, talking from around the lip of his water bottle.<br/>
<br/>
“That wasn’t a no,” Oikawa sang, offering out one of his hands -- the apple flavoured one, knowing that was Iwaizumi’s favourite. “I think we should make a pact. Like if we’re not married by thirty-”</p><p>“Thirty?!”</p><p>“Thirty-five,” Oikawa bargained. “Then we have to marry each other.”</p><p>Iwaizumi scoffed, taking Oikawa’s hand to bite the candy from the ring -- like a damn <em> animal. </em>“Like I’d agree to that, you’d probably just marry the first girl you meet just so you can beat me.”</p><p>“It’s not a race, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa exclaimed, snatching his hand back and examining the damage to his ring. Utterly devoured, that <em> beast. </em>Only shattered crystalline remains left, fractured and stuck slick with saliva on the plastic ring. “And if it was, I’d be winning.”</p><p>“Winning?” Makki snorted, leaning an arm up on Matsukawa’s shoulder.</p><p>“Oikawa... you get turned down more than hotel rooms,” Mattsun added, sending Hanamaki into an uncontrollable fit of giggles. “Iwaizumi has got that ruggish charm about him, girls love that.”</p><p>“Will you guys knock it off?” Iwaizumi snapped, pulling his mouth from about his water bottle to scold the other three. “We’re too young to be thinking about marriage.”</p><p>“Oh, Iwa-chan, don’t get so defen...” Oikawa trailed off at Hajime’s expression, sensing the metaphorical minefield they were about to stumble into — Hanamaki wasn’t so lucky.</p><p>“Why? Do you <em> like </em>someone?” Makki snickered. “One of those second-year girls got through that thick skin of yours?”</p><p>Iwaizumi’s brow furrowed deeper than the Mariana Trench, nose wrinkling in anger as he slammed his water bottle against the concrete with an authoritative <em> bam! </em></p><p>“The only thing I have in common with those girls is that we both like guys!”</p><p>The air fell silent about them, broken only by Iwaizumi’s panting breaths. Though it seemed as if his brain caught up to his mouth a second too late, eyes widening in terror as he noted his friend’s startled expressions.</p><p>“Wait, so you’re-?”</p><p>“I’m gay,” Iwaizumi snarled, bringing his bottle back to his lips. He was trying to play it cool, eyes staring dead ahead at the swirling of leaves across the school grounds but Oikawa could tell he was <em> fucking petrified,</em> fingers clenched into fists so they couldn’t see the tremor in his hands. “You got a problem with that?”</p><p>“Iwa-chan, I-”</p><p>Iwaizumi bolted. To be fair Oikawa had seen it coming, that expression was one of a cornered animal. Snapping and snarling, frothing at the mouth because to do anything else would let fear take over entirely. And where to wild animals run? Straight back to their den.</p><p>A tall wall loomed ahead of Oikawa. Eight feet tall with no crack or crevice for purchase, and still he quickest route out of school for those brave enough, or foolish enough, to tempt fate. As Oikawa took a running start he wasn’t quite sure which category he fit under.<br/>
He caught the top of the wall with both hands and hauling himself up, forearms burning as Makki and Mattsun called out after him. </p><p>That didn’t matter now, this wall was the fastest shortcut to the other side of the school, he had only one objective. <em>Run.</em></p><p> </p><p>There was a grove of trees on this side of the school, just beyond the athletics field and down the hill past the tennis courts. When Iwaizumi was younger he’d scramble up into the unreachable tangle of branches whenever he wanted to be left alone -- enshrouded by sharp angles and ravels of thorns, knees tucked tightly into his chest. Unfortunately, it was never that easy to shake Tooru off and Hajime had long since outgrown his protective nest.</p><p>“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa began softly, rounding the sturdy trunk of one of the larger trees that Iwaizumi had propped himself up against.</p><p>“Leave me alone!” He snarled, rubbing at his red-rimmed eyes harshly. “I don’t want to talk to you!”</p><p>Oikawa shrugged, setting his bag down on the mud dusted ground and sitting cross-legged atop it. “Too bad.”</p><p>Iwaizumi sniffled, desperately trying to silence the sharp breaths and wheezes that emanated from behind his crossed arms — Oikawa watched him, head cocked in curiosity. It felt almost voyeuristic to watch Iwaizumi like this, looking so vulnerable. To have those layers of strength and stability stripped back to the bare bones of his raw, untampered emotions. </p><p>“I’m guessing that wasn’t<em> exactly </em> how you wanted to tell us,” Oikawa said, picking the dirt from beneath his fingernails.</p><p>“<em>No</em>,” Iwaizumi said gruffly, unravelling his limbs, looking to Oikawa with almost frenzied eyes. “You can call me names, you can beat me up, but you <em> do not </em> get to laugh at me Oikawa Tooru.”</p><p>“Laugh at-? Iwa-chan, I’m not laughing at you.” Oikawa replied sincerely, leaning in as Iwaizumi scoffed, rubbing the back of his hand across his nose.</p><p>“Bullshit! Do not tell me you didn’t know!” His voice was full of fire but there was a crackle to it beyond the lick of flames, something sad and broken.</p><p>“I really didn’t!” Oikawa insisted.</p><p>“Y-you’re not lying?” There was an upturn to his voice, as if even he wasn’t sure of himself.</p><p>“I’m as surprised as you!” Oikawa sighed as Iwaizumi finally seemed to settle, kicking his legs out in front of him, foot knocking against Tooru's shin as he swayed them back and forth. A casual but tactile action, the need for intimacy whilst being unwilling to ask for it, or maybe he simply no longer needed to reach out with words alone when he was with Oikawa. “Honestly though... did you really think anyone on the volleyball team is straight?”</p><p>Iwaizumi sniffed thoughtfully for a second or two before responding, uncertain. “...Yahaba?” Oikawa gave him a poignant look. “Yeah, no, you got me there.”</p><p>The red rush beneath his cheeks faded as they sat in relative silence, the roar of an impromptu football match echoing out across the field.</p><p>“What about you?” Iwaizumi murmured, mouth pressed against his forearm as he pillowed his chin on his knees — looking far too baby-faced for his body.</p><p>With anyone else he may have had to clarify but Tooru knew what he meant. It was something they hadn’t talked about before, something Oikawa never felt the need to talk about. Though he understood Iwaizumi anxiety — <em> was this something Oikawa could hide so completely from him? </em></p><p>“I don’t know?” Oikawa replied, uncertainty twisting his words from a statement into a question.<br/>
<br/>
It wasn’t a lie, not entirely, he’d just never given it much thought; he was bi, probably, but there was always that qualifier. <em> Maybe </em> I feel this way, I <em> could </em> like guys, I <em> might </em> want to date this person. His feelings had always been squashed down into easily manageable chunks, sometimes it was hard to confront the enormity of them all. Minimize and allocate, it was almost laughably strategic, but somewhere in those motions he’d lost his certainty, that unshakeable conviction he prided himself on.<br/>
<em><br/>
</em>Truthfully though, Oikawa had never given it much thought beyond feeling no real preference over gender -- that didn’t matter to him, he was young and had time to figure that out. But Hajime… he wondered how long he’d been dealing with this all on his own. Those feelings, the ones that loomed stories tall, leering over him, drowning him in the guilt of secrecy and the fear of being known.</p><p>“Anyway,” Oikawa slapped his thighs as he pushed himself back onto his feet, offering a hand down to Iwaizumi. “Are we good?”</p><p>Iwaizumi slapped their palms together, his grip firm and sure as Oikawa pulled him to his feet. “Yeah. We’re good.”</p><p>“Great,” Oikawa grinned, clapping him on the back before throwing the same arm about his shoulders and tugging him back to the main school grounds. “So… who’s the hottest guy on the team? Aside from me, of course.”</p><p>Iwaizumi laughed, shaking his head in exasperation as he moved to throw Oikawa over his back in retaliation — Oikawa wrapped him in a headlock before he had the chance, <em> rookie mistake, Iwa-chan. </em> “I don’t know… they’re not really my type.”</p><p>“You have a type!?” Oikawa exclaimed, counterweighting him as Iwaizumi wrapped an arm about his midsection and tried to trip him over his shin.</p><p>Hajime flushed red, though it might have been due to the arm about his windpipe. “I don’t know!”</p><p>“Iwa-chan, you’re so boring! When you figure it out let me know, Makki’s in the lead so far but I’m rooting for Mattsun.” Oikawa teased, wriggling out his grasp and darting two paces ahead. “And I have to be the first person you tell when you find a boy you like!”</p><p>“I-I- thank you, Tooru,” Iwaizumi said, smiling sheepishly. Oikawa tutted, slotting him under his arm once more, feeling the breadth of his shoulders. They seemed broader now, like he’d straightened his back and puffed out his chest, no longer weighted down by an overwhelming secret.</p><p>“What are friends for, right?” He butted his forehead to Hajime’s in a comforting gesture, lifting that forlorn expression from his face as he slithered away a second later to wave Makki and Mattsun over.</p><p>“Oikawa!” Tooru turned on his heel at the sound of his name, finding Iwaizumi rooted to the same spot he’d left him, hands balled into fists and looking pensive as he spoke. “I-I already have someone I like…”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>lmao i swear i didn't plan this but happy pride months guys!<br/>tysm for reading and for leaving lovely comments and kudos :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>so this is where that hurt/comfort tag comes in...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>4 -</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Admittedly Oikawa had taken a little longer to read into that piece of subtext --<em> I like <strong>you,</strong> dumbass!</em><br/>
<br/>
It was exactly what Iwaizumi had yelled at him in the last week of their first semester in university and had been his four favourite words ever since. Almost, anyway.<br/>
Somewhere along the line that adoration he’d had for Tooru, those weird obsessive teenage feelings you have for your crush where you just want to drown in your time together, had grown and bloomed into something profound. Hajime <em>loved</em> him.<br/>
<br/>
More than that he wanted him — he <em>needed</em> him — in his life forever, there was no future he could picture without Oikawa in it.<br/>
<br/>
It was small things at first, like Oikawa was really good at folding laundry and Iwaizumi wondered how he’d gotten by so long with his mistreated and creased clothes. Of course Oikawa had just brushed it off.<br/>
<em>“Everyone who’s worked in retail folds like this,”</em> he’d shrugged — and Iwaizumi just wanted to wrap him in his arms and squeeze until his heart burst because he was so <em>wonderful.</em> Every little thing he did was <em>so wonderful</em> and Iwaizumi was <em>gone.</em><br/>
<br/>
Then Iwaizumi had dropped out of university to pursue volleyball full time and it kind of felt like the earth had been pulled out from under him. He was falling and it was too far too fast and there <em>he</em> was, a dazzling smile on his face and some cheesy line about how it was destiny they’d meet on the court again.<br/>
<br/>
He’d been with him when his parents finally started talking to him again, slowly.<br/>
<br/>
<em>"They love you, Hajime, they’re just scared for you."</em> Like he didn’t know exactly how that felt.<br/>
<br/>
And he was there for his first match, not as his setter but as just another member of the crowd — clutching Hajime’s mother’s hand so tightly he’d nearly sprained her fingers. When they’d won he’d screamed and when they lost two games later he’d sobbed, guiding Hajime’s parents through every second of it until they weren’t afraid anymore. Neither was Iwaizumi. Because he was there.<br/>
<br/>
That’s when he’d realised — who was he kidding? He’d known the second he’d soaked him in the paddling pool on his sixth birthday — <em>I want him with me for the rest of my life.</em><br/>
It didn’t happen all at once, it was less of a landslide was more of a sliding picture tile puzzle. What had once been meaningless colour was now a broader image. A future. Together.<br/>
<br/>
That’s when he’d started to put plans in place to propose, for real this time. Naturally there were a few hurdles to overcome to actually get there because, of course, nothing could ever be simple for them.<br/>
<br/>
<em>Then again</em>, he thought, how difficult could it be to ask his mother, father and elder sister for their blessing to marry the man he’d been dating for over half a decade and known since pre-school… <em>right?<br/>
</em><br/>
His mother was the easy target, no offence. She doted on Iwaizumi like he was her own son so hey, surprise! Now he could be. Then there was his father who was also just a profoundly lovely man, he’d also taught him to swim which was nice — no real bearing here but Iwaizumi was still grateful.<br/>
Then there was Oikawa Mei. She’d been difficult to wrangle but Iwaizumi had eventually squeezed a blessing from her — though he’d basically put himself into a metaphorical headlock, what with all the embarrassing childhood blackmail this woman had on him.<br/>
<br/>
They'd always been one big family, fluid, with shifting loyalties and conflicts based on misdirected concern and miscommunication, Hajime didn't <em>have</em> to ask. Hell, Tooru probably wouldn't even approve of being talked about like he was a product being given away. But Iwaizumi wasn't asking, not really, but <em>promising:</em> <em>"I will take care of your son," </em>not through happenstance or a joint past, but instead with purposeful devotion. Loving with conviction.<br/>
<br/>
The venue was obvious as well. At the same place as all key moments in their lives: right on the court.<br/>
It was Oikawa’s last game of the season and Iwaizumi couldn’t wait to watch them utterly destroy the visiting team. After that, when the crowds had filed out, that’s when he’d pop the question.<br/>
<br/>
Naturally he couldn’t just have any old paparazzi taking their picture in one of the most intimate moments of their lives but there was one cameraman in particular that he could trust.<br/>
<br/>
That’s how he got here, clutching Matsukawa’s wrist like his life depended on it, lest he be lost to the throng about them. They were heading into the gymnasium, or trying to at least, and were now caught in the crowd of people who’d arrived here in the wee hours of the morning just in hopes of catching a glimpse of their favourite player or wrangling their way into court-side seats.<br/>
<br/>
“Iwaizumi!” Matsukawa tugged back his arm, a dire look on his face as Hajime turned to him. “Go on without me.”<br/>
<br/>
“No, not like this!” But before he could catch Matsukawa’s trailing fingers he was lost to the bustle around them.<br/>
<br/>
“Whoop, not so fast!” A hand reached over him, fingers snaking about Matsukawa’s wrist and reeling him back in securely. “Don’t go losing my boyfriend, Iwaizumi.”<br/>
<br/>
“Takahiro!” Makki’s smiled blossomed as Issei wrapped an arm about his waist — purely to stop themselves from being lost to the crowd, of course.<br/>
<br/>
“We can’t have you being late, Hajime, what would the bride-to-be think?” Hanamaki teased. Matsukawa’s fingers clenched tightly about his forearm, completing the chain between them as Hanamaki glided through the crowds with ease. Flipping the staff his press ID pass, he pointed a thumb to the two men trailing behind him like bunting. “They’re with me.”</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>Inside the venue it felt as though the crowd were louder somehow, the low frequency thrum about him churning his stomach -- though that might have just been the pre-game jitters.<br/>
Iwaizumi was just glad Oikawa was still in white with his new team, it made him look younger, practically glowing out there on the court as he did when Hajime played beside him.<br/>
<br/>
It had become a tick over the course of the match to flip the small velvet box in the inner pocket of his jacket. Turning it over in hand before becoming paranoid that he’d open it upside down when the moment came, sending the ring tumbling out across the court.<br/>
<br/>
Everything had to go <em>perfectly.</em><br/>
<br/>
The game was progressing much as expected, the opposing team had a high offence but were lacking elsewhere -- no matter how rough the opposition's spikes were, Oikawa’s team remained solid with their receives. No win is guaranteed, but against an ill-matched opponent victory would not so easily be snatched from under them.<br/>
<br/>
But as the points ticked on, a feeling squirmed its way under Hajime’s skin, slithering just under the flesh until it coiled tight inside his gut, making him even more nauseous, as though his insides were off out at sea. He hoped it wasn’t obvious but judging by the way Matsukawa was eyeing him as though he were a man on his deathbed, it must have been showing in his expression.<br/>
<br/>
“Are you okay?” Issei asked, losing his grip on Makki’s shoulders as his boyfriend suddenly jerked sideways to get a different angle for his photos.<br/>
<br/>
Iwaizumi wasn’t sure how to answer, the room was swimming though it felt as though it were orbiting in the opposing path to his churning stomach. His tongue was pressed to the roof of his mouth, holding back the acidic taste that burned the back of his throat like sour candy — skin cold as ice, as if his heart had ceased beating, leaving his body stagnant and stalled.<br/>
<br/>
“I feel sick,” he said at last.<br/>
<br/>
“Do you want to go to the toilets?” Matsukawa offered, nodding at Hanamaki who finally noticed the events unfolding beside him.<br/>
<br/>
Then came the first coherent thought since this internal storm had rolled in. Every atom in his body screamed <em>NO</em>, with such desperation that Iwaizumi nearly clapped his hands over his ears to silence them. No matter what happened he could not leave this court side.<br/>
<br/>
He wrapped his fingers over the top of the barrier and clenched until his knuckles turned white, gritting his teeth and steeling his gut.<br/>
<br/>
“I’m<em> fine.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>Life doesn’t have a pause button and you can’t see every frame with precise detail. Sometimes your greatest tragedies are paired with your loudest laughs, there’s a kind of disbelief where you have to hope these events are ill-timed jokes. Then the laughter dies out when reality suckerpunches you in the gut, ripping the air from your lungs and stealing the naive light from your eyes.<br/>
<br/>
Few interpersonal tragedies are expected or can be predicted, but something akin to deja vu washed over Iwaizumi, drowning him in its dark waters the second Tooru’s feet left the ground. Maybe a second earlier in fact, when his serve went up and he jumped to meet it.<br/>
No one else would have noticed, his calf trembled when he jumped, differing from the simple muscle memory that fueled his serves. Something false and foreboding.<br/>
<br/>
And Iwaizumi was on his feet the second Oikawa touched down, the first leg juddering awkwardly at the impact, his right leg coming in to correct himself. Instead, it slipped out from under him at an angle Hajime recognised too well, that same <em>pop</em> that caused him such grief in high school seeming to roar over the commotion of the crowd though it was only the ghost of an injury that haunted them both.<br/>
<br/>
There was the briefest graze of fingertips at the back of his neck, the protests of his friends just white-noise as Iwaizumi hurdled the barrier and dashed onto the court.<br/>
<br/>
Life didn’t have a pause button, but this scene, one Hajime had been present for twice now, seemed to play out in slow motion. To hell if he couldn’t stop history from repeating itself.<br/>
<br/>
The bedlam of the crowd didn’t matter to him, one sound had followed him from high school further than that grisly <em>pop</em>. The heavy thud of Oikawa hitting the floor, he’d been bruised black and blue, so much so that Hajime couldn’t bear to touch him back then through fear of <em>breaking</em> him.<br/>
<br/>
So he ran, falling to his knees at the sidelines and sliding haphazardly beneath his boyfriend, catching him solidly in his arms and holding him tight. Iwaizumi was vaguely aware of the hands trying to pull him off but he held firm, Tooru’s head pillowed in his lap.<br/>
<br/>
As the medics checked over his knee Oikawa seemed to spring back into life, hands curling up over Iwaizumi’s forearms, gripping so tight it burned his skin — though it would only be a fraction of Oikawa’s agony.<br/>
<br/>
“You’re okay,” Iwaizumi said forcefully, half trying to convince himself as he sheltered Oikawa from the harsh lights above. “Just look at me.”<br/>
<br/>
“Iwa-chan?” Tooru mumbled, fingers becoming less desperate as his eyes finally focused in on Hajime.<br/>
<br/>
“I’m right here, you’re going to be fine.”<br/>
<br/>
Despite himself, Oikawa laughed. “No I’m not.” He hissed, curling himself tighter in Iwaizumi arms as the medics set his leg in a splint, face screwed up in pain. “It hurts.”<br/>
<br/>
Iwaizumi cringed, his heart ached at seeing Tooru in such pain, tearing open an old wound for them both — all too literally for Hajime’s liking. “I know, just hang on a little longer, I’ll ride with you to the hospital.”<br/>
<br/>
Seeing that they weren’t going to be pried apart, Iwaizumi had just become part of the swarm ushering them off the court to the sound of a standing ovation.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>No.</em>” Oikawa’s fist nearly crushed his hand as if showing off whatever fight was left in him. “Stay here.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’m not leaving you-”<br/>
<br/>
Oikawa’s face was slick with sweat, barely able to push pained words from his clenched jaw. “<em>Stay.</em> I have to see us win.”<br/>
<br/>
His grip fell limp as did he, collapsing back against the stretcher as he was carried off — leaving Iwaizumi alone in the crowd, pulling away until even the white impressions on Oikawa’s skin from Hajime’s fingers faded from sight.<br/>
<br/>
Every muscle in his body seized, fist gripping that velvet box with such force it popped open, finger brushing over the small band inside, the coldness of the metal sending shards of ice up his veins as he stood frozen in place.<br/>
<br/>
Though he understood. They’d beaten Karasuno once only to be snuffed out by Shiratorizawa, then even Karasuno had surpassed them. All his hard work had meant nothing. Not in any written way, he’d never gotten his <em>win.</em><br/>
Now he would be here for it, for the victory he had earned. For the team he had cultivated and made bloom.<br/>
<br/>
It was time for the universe to give back to Oikawa Tooru.<br/>
<br/>
Oikawa could watch the recording of the match, sure, but that wasn’t it. It wouldn’t satisfy his hunger. He didn’t want to hear the rush of the crowd, he wanted their whispers, the small phrases never meant to reach his ears, the shrieks of disbelief when his team won -- the new underdogs that had fought tooth and nail to get as far as they had.<br/>
<br/>
So Iwaizumi would stay, he’d be his eyes and ears and heart. That had been his plan all along, hadn’t it? To share everything with him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thanks so much for reading, all comments and kudos are very much appreciated!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>aaaaand cue more hurt/comfort, sorry guys lmao</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>5 -</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa had woken up in the hospital enough times to recognise that chemical sting in his nose the second he regained consciousness, lights searing his vision as he attempted to pry his eyes apart.</p><p>“Hey,” a soft voice said, the pad of their thumb brushing over his eyelids. Tooru felt it stick to the sleep and tear stains left behind from before he fell asleep. He could smell that warm-scented cologne as a hand cupped his cheek, it was the same smell that stained his bedsheets, that mingled with his own when they got ready together in their home. “You’re finally awake.”</p><p>Those lights seemed softer now, shrouding Hajime in a heavenly glow as he offered a broken smile down at Oikawa’s drained face.<br/>For a moment he thought he was dreaming, unable to move his hands, as though his wrists were weighted down against the bed, as he moved to wrap a hand about his partner’s wrist and feel the steady pace of his pulse beneath his fingertips.</p><p>“You’re okay, you’re just in hospital. You… you took a pretty nasty tumble,” Iwaizumi explained as he sat back down with an audible wheeze.</p><p>As if on cue that ache flared about his knee again, as if it were swollen to twice its size -- which it actually may have been. He wasn’t on enough pain medication for this, Oikawa pondered, until a hand slipped beneath the bed sheet, finding Oikawa’s own and tangling their fingers together tightly, as though he were afraid he’d slip between the gaps in the space between them.</p><p>“You really <em> scared </em> me, Tooru,” Iwaizumi said. Most people would have missed the slight tremor in his voice, but Oikawa wasn’t most people. “You scared all of us.”</p><p>A weight lifted from his lower calf and his blurred vision settled on a figure at the end of the bed on the opposing size. Two figures actually, he realised as they came into view. Matsukawa waving limply, Hanamaki collapsed on his shoulder, drooling lightly on his jacket as he caught some much needed rest.</p><p>Oikawa tried to force out a greeting but it fell flat in his throat, coming out instead as a couple of crackles like a broken speaker.</p><p>“You don’t have to talk, you should rest. I’m just-<em> fuck.</em>” The grip on his hand tightened as Hajime brought them up to his forehead, trying to suppress his more aggressive sobs. “I’m just glad you’re <em> okay.</em>” The last word came out as a half strangled whine, as if that fact hadn’t been guaranteed from the start of his time in hospital.</p><p>As Iwaizumi caught the desperate look in Tooru’s eye, he wiped his eyes roughly with the heel of his palm.<br/><br/>“It’s nothing serious, just another sprain, it’ll heal. But Oikawa,” he took a deep breath, drowning the shake in his voice. “They can’t guarantee another lucky break like that again, if you hurt yourself again it might cause <em> permanent </em> damage.” </p><p>But despite himself they both knew his words were falling on deaf ears, Oikawa knew the risks from when he’d first injured his knee, the limitations it could put on his life. But volleyball <em> was </em> his life, as much as he preached self-care he’d stand on the court until his body physically broke beneath him.</p><p>And yet, as Hajime kissed his knuckles, that urgent look in his eyes — the need to watch him play and the <em> fear </em> at what would become of him — he was almost tempted to leave it behind. If only so Iwaizumi didn’t have to watch him fall apart.</p><p>“Mornin’, Sleeping Beauty, you missed the big reunion,” a deeper mumbled voice spoke from the end of his bed as Hanamaki stirred at last.</p><p>“Oikawa, you’re awake!” Makki exclaimed, gripping his hand through the sheets. “God, you look like crap!”</p><p>“Easy, Hiro,” Mattsun said, pulling him back onto their shared seat. Makki noted Iwaizumi across the bed, looking as though the last few hours had taken years off his life, a profound tiredness hanging heavy in his expression.</p><p>“It’s fine,” he laughed, breathlessly, for the first time Oikawa noted it wasn’t as forced as before. “You do, by the way, look like crap.” Oikawa just pouted and that smile finally reached his eyes, small tears escaping down his cheeks, though it seemed more in relief than sadness.</p><p>To humour him, Iwaizumi took his free hand, brushing Oikawa’s fringe from his eyes and trailing his fingertips across his forehead, down his nose, curving with his cheekbones in the lightest of massages, soothing him off to sleep. His eyes swirled back into focus as the two figures at the end of his bed stood, looking to one another sheepishly, sensing the couple’s need to be alone for a moment.</p><p>“We’ll go get you some water. You want anything, Iwaizumi?” He shook his head in response. To Oikawa it seemed like such a weighted movement, conveying something more than exhaustion and for a moment — despite the agony in his leg and pounding in his head — he was angry at himself for falling unconscious, for not being able to sit in a comfortable silence with his boyfriend and assure him he was<em> fine</em>. He would <em> be fine</em>.</p><p>“I love you, Tooru,” Hajime said when they were alone, almost hissing it in his urgency. “I didn’t say it before you left and I- I want you to know I’m thinking it all the fucking time, even when I’m not saying it.”</p><p>Everything in Oikawa wanted to respond, to tell Hajime that he loved him so much it felt as though it were embedded in his bones, like every atom in his body ached for him. That the only reason he was able to keep getting up after these injuries was because <em> he </em> was there to shoulder his weight, hold him upright until he could crawl, walk, run, toss all on his own.</p><p>But his parched throat rejected the words, croaking uselessly. </p><p>Hajime laughed, that laugh where he was all teeth, nose scrunched as tightly as his screwed eyes and whatever aged aura that had been resting over him was shucked. When he laughed it felt as though they were teenagers all over again. If Oikawa could just capture that laughter in a bottle maybe the world would be a brighter place. </p><p>As he leaned in, lips pressed firmly against Tooru’s own, Oikawa summoned every particle of strength in his body to press back just as insistently. Put all the thoughts he couldn’t verbalise in this one moment of Iwaizumi’s mouth pressed to his and hope he understood. He always did.</p><p>It was strange, Oikawa thought, how differently this day had gone. In fact, even through his bleary vision, he could see that small black box poking out from his bagged belongings. Part of him wanted to swat it out of sight but Iwaizumi had paid it no attention from the second Oikawa had opened his eyes. </p><p>He thought back to the first day he met Hajime and pondered, pulling at the threads of his remaining consciousness, <em> had he known all the way back then? </em> That he wanted to be with him forever? For as long as ‘forever’ allowed them to be together?<br/>He hadn’t even told Makki and Mattsun that he had planned to propose, not that he didn’t trust them but he’d shared so much of his life with others — what with the media circus that had followed him since high school — he wanted this to be something only they shared. Their secret, if only for a little while.</p><p>Everything was going to be perfect… he supposed that’d have to wait for now. <em> And yet- </em></p><p>“Look sharp, Ariel, we’ll get you that voice back,” Mattsun teased with a smile, shuffling his seat up to Oikawa’s headrest the moment they re-entered his bay. Despite Iwaizumi’s protests they’d gotten him a coffee anyway, though to be fair he looked as though he needed it. </p><p>As Matsukawa helped him up onto his elbows he stole a glance at Iwaizumi, blowing on his little cup of coffee, making it look ridiculously small in his large hands and Oikawa fell in love all over again. He wanted to ask him to marry him here and now, he wasn’t sure if he could wait anymore, his heart felt fit to burst.<br/>Then Hajime took a sip and seemed to sag in his seat and god he just looked so <em> tired</em>. Oikawa couldn’t ask, not now. But, as the water washed cleanly down his throat, there was something he wanted- no, <em> needed </em> to know.</p><p>“The match,” he began hoarsely, voice crackling into something smooth. “Did we <em> win?</em>”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thank you so much for all your comments and kudos!! you make this little writer very happy (//ω//)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>sorry for that mini hiatus there 😳</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>+1</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Once Oikawa was released from hospital all plans for a proposal were brushed under the rug, replaced with thoughts of regular icing and physiotherapy, anything to get his partner back on his feet as soon as possible. The light-footed fantasyland of his team’s victory slowly losing it’s gusto and reeling him back onto earth. </p><p>When walking was no longer a chore some of that tension in Iwaizumi’s brow uncoiled, watching Oikawa quite literally get back on his feet. They were being cautious but Oikawa was almost back to being fighting fit within the month -- though they knew it’d be much longer before he could return to the court. </p><p>Evidently he was starting to feel a little cooped up, taking to pacing back and forth across the stretch of their floor length windows and people watching from on high. Sometimes Iwaizumi would catch him tossing a volleyball up repeatedly on his own, or hear the beat of it smacking the wall and colliding with his waiting forearms until the skin was red raw as he kept his receives sharp. </p><p>Every time Hajime would come and go, Oikawa would look at him like a lost stray.<br/><br/>So after a visit to the doctor and a lot of puppy-eyes from Oikawa, as well as his more distracting forms of persuasion, Iwaizumi finally agreed to a small trip away to the coast.<br/><br/>Really he’d been keeping all his own business on the downlow as well so Oikawa might finally be forced to take some time off, but even he was feeling a little caged in. Not to mention that with how he’d been monitoring Tooru for the past few weeks he kind of felt like a helicopter parent. A beach retreat would do them good.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>“Room for a little one?” A voice said as Iwaizumi swung open the car door for Oikawa. They were outside their apartment block, bags already packed into the boot and the smell of sunscreen weighing heavy in the air. </p><p>“Or two?” Two figures approached with bags in hand, wearing matching floral sunglasses and shit-eating grins.</p><p>“Absolutely not,” Iwaizumi said, watching Matsukawa and Makki’s smiles widen devilishly at his irritation. “You are- <em> no. </em> Get your long ass limbs away from my car!”</p><p>“Actually,” Oikawa spoke up, poking his head out from the passenger side door. “I invited them along.”</p><p>“Babe, we’re driving there, I’m not having this guy’s knees in my back for an hour or so,” Hajime grumbled, jabbing a thumb in Matsukawa’s direction as he smirked on unperturbed. “You two!” They snapped to attention, trying to hide their amusement behind their blacked out lenses. “What made you think I’d ever agree to this?”</p><p>“Yahaba-san, I could have gotten a lift with Kunimi, I don’t know why you insisted I come with you two.” <em> That voice</em>, it made his blood run cold and then set alight, he turned around to find-</p><p>“Kindaichi! You’re back from Europe!” Despite himself, Iwaizumi couldn’t help an elated smile working past his disgruntled exterior as his previous underclassman offered a beaming grin, shining brightly against his heavily tanned skin.</p><p>“Yeah, I just got back about a week ago, Akira got a little homesick after four months abroad so we came back early!” <em> Four months! Wow, who’d figure that kid would turn into such a little globetrotter? </em> Dammit, he'd gotten so distracted that he wasn't even mad at Hanamaki and Matsukawa anymore — this was below the belt, pulling at his heartstrings like this.</p><p>“And he’s just <em> thrilled </em> to be coming on Seijoh’s little road trip,” Hanamaki said with an exaggerated pout.<br/><br/><em>This counted as emotional blackmail, right?</em></p><p>Either way, it<em> had </em> been some time since he’d properly caught up with Kindaichi, and even Kyoutani seemed happy (or at least <em> not angry</em>) at seeing his seniors again.<br/><br/>Wait, <em> what </em> did Makki say?</p><p>Appearing from behind the pair, coming in at a sprint, was their libero with Kunimi trailing back well behind him.</p><p>“Sorry I’m-” Watari bent double, panting heavily as Issei patted his back awkwardly. “Sorry I’m late.”</p><p>“Nope, you’re just on time!” Makki replied, crossing his arms, still wearing that smarmy smile. It seemed Iwaizumi was wildly outnumbered.</p><p>“Iwa-chan,” and Hajime was annoyed at how quickly his anger melted away as Oikawa took his hand, pressing a lazy kiss to his fingers. “You’re not going to send them all away, are you?” He was pouting and doing that face where his eyes were impossibly big.<br/><br/>This was <em> definitely </em>emotional blackmail.</p><p>“Fine, fine! Everyone in!” There was a chorus of whoops and cheers as people packed up their luggage into the respective cars and figured out their configurations of where to sit.</p><p> </p><p>Honestly this was… the worst case scenario. Hanamaki at the wheel, listening intently to Kindaichi’s tales about the wonders of Scandinavia or something along those lines whilst Matsukawa and Oikawa argued animatedly from either side of him about one of the earlier matches in the season where they’d played against one another.</p><p>And between it all, with Oikawa’s elbow in his ribs where he was leaning across his boyfriend to get in Mattsun’s face, was Iwaizumi, desperately clinging to the image of beautiful white sands and a cool ocean breeze and hoping beyond hope that no one started to sing.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>“Finally,” Matsukawa groaned, his back popping as he stretched out his cramped limbs -- the sun was beginning to set, that heavy summer wind now just a pleasant warm breeze washing through the sweltering fabric of his sweater. “That ride was hell.”</p><p>Iwaizumi just scowled, not even bothering to rise to the remark as he looked at the two matching patches of drool on either shoulder. Both his fellow backseat passengers had fallen asleep on him around a quarter of an hour into the journey and had been soundly unconscious for the more tedious parts of the ride.</p><p>“Mmm, I don’t know,” Oikawa hummed, wrapping his arms about Iwaizumi’s waist and resting his cheek atop his shoulder. “I had a wonderful time.”</p><p>“Well, why don’t we unpack then head down to the beach?” Makki suggested, already throwing open the boot as Yahaba’s car pulled in, Kyoutani hopping out the passenger side door before the car had even come to a halt -- seemed he didn’t cope well with being cooped up either. </p><p>“The beach?” Iwaizumi grumbled, stretching out the knots in his back, Oikawa kneading his hands into the muscle unhelpfully. “I’m way too tired.”</p><p>“Aw, but I wanna go swimming!” Kindaichi piped up, nose upturned, sniffing as though he could track down the sea air. Even Yahaba had a firm grip on the hem of Kyoutani’s shirt, as though he might dart off at any moment as well. </p><p>“Come on, Iwa-chan, it’ll be packed in the morning, may as well enjoy it whilst we have it all to ourselves.” Honestly Oikawa should have taken up a career as a phone salesman, his voice was like honey. All too tempting on Iwaizumi’s drowsy mind. “<em>It’ll be romantic,</em>” he sang.</p><p>Then there was another voice whispering in his other ear. “If it sweetens the deal we’ll unpack everything and meet you down there,” Iwaizumi slapped Matsukawa’s face away and looked at his assembly’s hopeful expressions.</p><p>“<em>Okay</em>, I’ll just grab our towels then. See you soon?” He gave Oikawa that look, the one that meant ‘<em>don’t be late, dumbass</em>’ and Oikawa just shot him back that responding glance of ‘<em>am I ever?</em>’</p><p>“Soon,” Oikawa promised, kissing his cheek and disappearing with Mattsun and Watari, the latter of which was adamantly protesting he could carry four people’s luggage on his own -- his seniors didn’t look keen to argue with him. </p><p>As Iwaizumi stretched his leg he felt something dig into his groin, jabbing right at the junction between his leg and hip from inside his front pocket.</p><p>“What the-?” He reached a curious hand down only to feel- “oh <em>fuck!</em>”</p><p>“What is it?” Hanamaki asked, towel slung over his shoulder, shirt already open an extra two buttons since last he’d looked.</p><p>“The ring!” Hajime hissed, pulling the velvet box out discreetly as possible to check its contents was still safe and secure.</p><p>“Why’d you bring the ring?!” Makki piped up, spinning him around on the spot as a few curious heads turned their way. “Oh my god, did we crash your proposal?” For once he looked genuinely guilty for disrupting their couple’s getaway.</p><p>“No, I didn’t even know I had it on me!” He replied, shoving it back into the safety of his pocket as they walked on. “These must have been the shorts I was hiding it in.”</p><p>“Risky play, Hajime, Oikawa wears your clothes all the time,” Makki tutted disapprovingly. </p><p>“He wears my hoodies, he doesn’t rifle through my damn pockets,” Iwaizumi retorted, jamming his knee into the back of Makki's knee to throw him off balance, watching him near stumble off the sidewalk with a vindicated smirk. </p><p>“Well... what are you gonna do?” Makki asked, hands buried deep in the pockets of his trunks. </p><p>“I don’t know, I could hide it in my toiletry bag? Oikawa would never go in there,” Iwaizumi suggested, rubbing at the back of his neck whilst his teeth gnawed over the edge of his lower lip.</p><p>“Wait, what? You’re not going to propose?!” He replied, surprised. His eyes didn't even glance in Iwaizumi's direction, favouring scanning the golden line of the horizon, utterly enamoured by the boardwalk scenery by the oceanside -- now he lived further inland he must have clearly been facing some coastal withdrawals. </p><p>Iwaizumi stammered defensively, huffing at last before crossing his arms decisively. “No! It was meant to be on the court, everything was going to be perfect! And this?” He gestured to Kindaichi and Kyoutani who were racing each other down onto the beach and into the waves, hollering insults at one another as they went. “This isn’t perfect.”</p><p>“Perfection, huh?” Hanamaki quirked, hands interlocked behind his head as he bounced down the steps onto the sands. “That’s holding yourself to quite a high standard, sounds like someone else I know.” He raised an eyebrow at him knowingly, scouting out the nearest sun chairs to set their things down. </p><p>Iwaizumi sagged, watching Hanamaki settle his towel down on the chair neatly. “After all he’s been through it’s the least I can give him.”</p><p>“You know what I think?” Makki began, nodding his head so his shades fell down off his head and onto his nose. Hajime figured he’d be hearing his opinion no matter what he said so instead just retrieved Kindaichi’s shirt from where he’d abandoned it behind him in the sand and cocked his head expectantly. “I think it’s fate.”</p><p>“Fate?”</p><p>“Think about it. You’re on the first real holiday you’ve had in years, you’ve got your whole team behind you, your kid’s here,” Hanamaki started, gesturing out to sea.</p><p>Iwaizumi laughed, half exasperated and half endeared, turning his head to watch the rest of their ragtag group.<br/><br/>“Kindaichi’s not my- HEY Yuutarou! Don’t go too far out, you could get caught in a current!” Iwaizumi boomed, Kindaichi standing to attention in an instant, paddling back into the shallows where Kunimi was cooling his tired feet. He caught Makki’s devilish expression the second they locked eyes. “He’s not my kid, he’s an adult, he’s been to Europe! <em> Europe! </em> All on his own!” Iwaizumi huffed. </p><p>“Anyway… I think if you keep waiting for the ‘perfect moment’ then the <em> proper </em> moment is going to pass right under your nose.” Makki lowered his glasses, cocking an eyebrow as he reclined in his seat. “And hey, if you spend too long waiting, me and Issei might just tie the knot before you and steal your limelight.”</p><p>“Who’s stealing my limelight?” A smooth voice hummed from aside Hajime’s ear, slender fingers entwining with his own as the figure draped themselves over Iwaizumi’s back.</p><p>“No one!” Makki bit back sharply, sitting rigid in his seat as their respective partners (and Watari) set their bags down under their claimed beach parasol.</p><p>“...Well that’s not suspicious,” Matsukawa began, sitting himself down on Makki’s lap and ignoring his boyfriend’s pained wheeze. “You two aren’t plotting something are you? You know how much I hate it when you scheme without me.” </p><p>Iwaizumi reeled back his towel and snapped it across his forearm playfully. “I don’t <em> scheme.</em>”</p><p>“Aw, not even a little?” Oikawa teased, dodging the snap of the towel Iwaizumi sent his way with ease. “Come on! Iwa-chan is such an old man, you can’t be mad at us forever.”</p><p>“I’m not mad! I’m surprised, and you know how much I hate surprises,” Iwaizumi grumbled, setting his own towel on the sand so Oikawa could have the sun chair.</p><p>“Well that’s not true, is it?” Oikawa said with a wink and Hajime didn’t even want to begin to think about what he might be referencing but it made Makki and Mattsun wolf whistle loudly regardless.</p><p>“Come on, Iwaizumi,” Hanamaki drawled, pushing at his shoulders until he sat down on the towel, trying to pull his shirt off over his head before Iwaizumi slapped his hands away and did it himself — Mattsun tugging his sandals off ungracefully. “Just lie back and enjoy yourself.”</p><p>“Careful, Takahiro,” Issei snickered as Iwaizumi finally settled down with some reluctance. “You don’t want to get him all worked up.”</p><p>All sense of serenity was lost as Iwaizumi sprang up, kicking up sand and shells in his wake and tossing one of his sandals at his friends as they made a hasty retreat, both laughing maniacally. </p><p>Huffing, Iwaizumi returned to their sun chairs, perching on the edge and letting out a long, wounded sigh.</p><p>“Tooru, <em> why?</em>” He asked, rubbing his temples as Oikawa just cocked his head, confused. “Why did you invite <em> everyone?</em>”</p><p>Oikawa looked thoughtful for a moment, eyes scanning the beach. It was mostly barren save for them and a few families taking an evening walk in the soft, shifting sands.<br/>Yahaba was looking about frantically as if he had lost something, Watari lounging beside him unconcerned whilst Kindaichi towelled off Kunimi’s hair apologetically, the latter’s shirt utterly drenched with seawater. Makki and Mattsun were nowhere to be seen which probably meant they'd elected to stick their tongues down each other's throats <em>elsewhere.</em> Thankfully.</p><p>Oikawa hummed again, amused. “Well, they’re family, aren’t they?”</p><p>Iwaizumi considered that, hand reaching out to bridge the gap between them, both leaning back in their chairs, their fingers loosely tangled together as they watched the setting sun.<br/><br/><em> His team</em>… they were rough around the edges, louder than Hajime cared for, and they drove him up the wall… yeah, they <em>were</em> a family. </p><p>It was weird. When the third years left school they’d expected to be forgotten somewhere along the line — a passing tale told to their kouhai’s own juniors perhaps, a fleeting memory of some joke they had shared together.<br/>That didn’t happen though, not right away. They’d expected, after the first few birthday outings, winter time excursions and summer road trips, that this time together, however treasured, would be fleeting.<br/>They were just being polite. They were just respecting their elders. Months passed, then years and they realised, <em> slowly</em>, exactly what they’d done in their time together. Their loss against Karasuno had tricked them into thinking they’d failed but now, as Iwaizumi looked out to the faces he swore would have abandoned him to mere memory years ago, he realised just how wrong they were.<br/><br/>They’d made their team <em> unbreakable. </em> </p><p>A shadow blotted their vision, the darkened figure of Kyoutani gesturing at something across the beach, breaking them from their reminiscing. “I found a dead bird.”</p><p>Okay, yep, the moment was gone.<br/><br/>Yahaba was chasing after Kyoutani for disturbing their ex-captains which quickly turned into a game of who could toss the other into the ocean first, still Iwaizumi couldn’t find it in him to intervene. Oikawa’s grip on him was soft and sure, his fore and middle finger strumming lightly on the back of his palm. As he looked out to sea, gaze distant though content, his eyes looked golden in the light of the setting sun.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i've had a pretty eventful week or so and i didn't want to update this fic only to drop off the map again, things are a little better now but i thought i'd drop this chapter as an apology gift and a promise that it's almost all fluff from hereon out :D<br/>thanks for your patience, all comments and kudos are super appreciated!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>ngl this update took so long because originally this chapter had smut in but do you know how hard it is to write about sex without sounding like you're trying to describe it to an alien? it's fuckin hard. so basically this chapter turned into me showing the metaphorical ankle of my risque writing skills, please enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Honestly one of these days Iwaizumi would regret becoming accustomed to being walked in on in the shower. Any intruder would get more than an eyeful before he’d even noticed they were there and he didn’t much fancy being caught with his trousers down; especially not in this particular hotel they’d finally been able to wrangle everyone back to, which was broaching the line of ‘plush’ and ‘quaint’ and edging into just plain sleazy.<br/>
<br/>
Though, as the shower door slid open and a naked body slipped in beside him, Iwaizumi felt at ease, tilting his head up into the stream and letting the water wash the lathered shampoo out. Fingers grazed his scalp, working through his hair until the water was free of suds.<br/>
<br/>
“Were you using my shampoo?” Oikawa teased, nosing at the damp hair at the back of his head.<br/>
<br/>
Iwaizumi spun around on the defensive, startled that he had been caught out so soon. “Uhh,” he stammered weakly.<br/>
<br/>
“It’s okay,” he hummed in response, the days worth of travel and beach shenanigans having evidently caught up with him. “It smells good.”<br/>
<br/>
“You feeling okay?” Iwaizumi asked, stepping back to accommodate Oikawa beneath the stream of water, letting him splash some colour back into his tired face.<br/>
<br/>
Shaking off his sodden hair, a wide smile overtook Oikawa’s face, eyes closed in satisfaction. “I’m perfect!”<br/>
<br/>
“Good, then you’re awake enough to wash my back.” Oikawa’s face fell into a pout but he didn’t complain as Hajime offered his back, lathering up his hands diligently. Before his hands washed over his shoulders Iwaizumi felt a tongue press to his neck and run up behind his ear, he arched into the touch, letting his head roll back against Oikawa’s shoulder.<br/>
<br/>
“Eugh,” Oikawa gagged, tongue still hanging out of his mouth as he leaned over Iwaizumi shoulder with a grimace on his face. “You taste wike sunscween.”<br/>
<br/>
He could barely suppress a snort as he turned around in his boyfriend’s arms, watching him wash his tongue off in the shower water and overcome with the realisation that<em> I'm really going to marry this idiot.<br/>
</em><br/>
Yet despite himself he couldn’t help but steal a kiss as Oikawa’s tongue slid back into place, one hand cradling the nape of his neck as the other settled at his waist and pulled him more solidly under the water.<br/>
As the kiss deepened Hajime could do little but sling both arms about Tooru’s shoulders as Oikawa’s hands pulled their bodies flush together, Iwaizumi resorting to rolling onto the balls of his feet to meet the feverish pace of their kisses.<br/>
<br/>
The wall of the shower pressed into his back, one of Oikawa’s legs sliding up between his own as he kissed and nipped his way across Iwaizumi’s jawline and down the length of his neck, as though tracing the path of the nerves there, working over the most sensitive spots of skin with intimate precision.<br/>
<br/>
At last Iwaizumi hummed, pushing Oikawa away half-heartedly, their kiss breaking with a long, drawn out whine from his boyfriend.<br/>
<br/>
Oikawa huffed a little, looking disappointed, his voice was gentle but there was a bite behind his words. “I’m not going to <em>break,</em> Hajime.”<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Iwaizumi replied, voice genuine, shrugging a little before brushing his nose against Oikawa’s as he rested their foreheads together.<br/>
<br/>
“You won’t. Besides… what if I <em>don’t mind</em> getting a little roughed up?” And there was that lilt in his voice that let Iwaizumi know that if he looked up at him now he might not be able to steel his resolve against the temptation.<br/>
<br/>
Instead he set his palm in the centre of Oikawa’s chest, pushing him back enough for Iwaizumi to stand at his full height — though he never had caught up to Oikawa, damn his genes. “When you’re healed,” he asserted.<br/>
<br/>
Oikawa whined again but held up his hands in surrender, Iwaizumi knew he was just playing up his disappointment for the drama of it all, though he couldn’t hold back a small snicker. “Iwa-chan, when did you become such an old man?” He joked, batting at his shoulder playfully.<br/>
<br/>
“When you sapped the life from me!” Hajime retorted, shoving him back a little harder.<br/>
<br/>
Oikawa just slapped at him in a teasing cat fight until they were almost settled in each other's arms. “I keep you young.”<br/>
<br/>
Yet his hands were anything but innocent, washing over him hot and heavier than the water pouring down between them, humming in feigned absentmindedness as Oikawa slid slowly, almost imperceptibly, further down from the crook of Iwaizumi’s neck.<br/>
<br/>
“Tooru,” Iwaizumi said warningly, hands wrapping beneath his elbows to stop him travelling any further south.<br/>
<br/>
“I know, I know. No sex because Iwa-chan will split me in two,” Oikawa sighed, strumming his fingers on Hajime’s broad chest.<br/>
<br/>
“Hey-”<br/>
<br/>
“Come on, you won’t even have to do anything, just stand there and look pretty,” Oikawa teased, hands trailing down his torso until they were braced at his hip bones. "You <em>can</em> say no but... don't make decisions<em> for</em> me, I know what I can handle."<br/>
<br/>
Despite himself Hajime laughed, pushing Tooru’s fringe from his eyes as he trailed kisses down Iwaizumi’s chest, gaze trained on his boyfriend, awaiting his response. Honestly he must have been the only person in history to try and turn down a blowjob from Oikawa Tooru.<br/>
<br/>
What the hell, it had been a few weeks… <em>weeks?</em> Had it been <em>weeks</em> since they’d done <em>anything?</em> No wonder his skin seemed to be singing the second Oikawa touched him, even casually, despite the stifling confinement of their car ride out here he’d been half ready to jump Oikawa’s bones for almost most of the journey. He should probably take Tooru up on his offer before they resorted to just rutting against each other like a couple of horny teens.<br/>
<br/>
Okay, safety first though, Hajime thought, bypassing Oikawa to slip out of the shower for a moment.<br/>
<br/>
“Where are you going?” Oikawa asked, watching Hajime potter around through the glass, nose upturned where it was pressed against the pane.<br/>
<br/>
“I’m getting a towel, dumbass,” Iwaizumi replied, distracted as he yoinked the thickest, fuzziest towel from the rack and brought it back onto the shower with him. “For your knee.”<br/>
<br/>
“Are you serious?” Oikawa almost laughed, watching Iwaizumi set the towel down on the shower floor, looking very proud of his impromptu pillow.<br/>
<br/>
Iwaizumi pouted, crossing his arms defensively. “I’m not having you fucking up your knee again because you’re so thirsty for my dick.”<br/>
<br/>
Oikawa rolled his eyes, oddly endeared as he sank down onto his knees, relishing the way Hajime visibly swallowed at the movement, arms uncrossing, tension uncurling from his squared shoulders.<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, and Iwa-chan,” Oikawa began, tapping a finger on Iwaizumi’s abdomen as though Hajime weren’t already utterly entranced by him. “Turn the temperature down.”<br/>
<br/>
“What?” He replied, confused.<br/>
<br/>
“I’m not frying my pores just because you like to flay the flesh from your bones every time you shower.”<br/>
<br/>
Hajime huffed but did as instructed. “This is the worst foreplay ever.”<br/>
<br/>
“Mmm, sorry. Let me try again?” As he stood Oikawa grabbed a handful of Hajime’s hair and tugged his head back sharply, pulling a rugged gasp from Iwaizumi’s throat as Oikawa sucked a mark at the junction of his neck and shoulder that he could only pray would be covered by his t-shirt. His tongue was hot and wet over the bruised skin, pressing hard enough to make it feel deliciously tender.<br/>
<br/>
With one hand fisted in his hair, Oikawa’s free hand trailed down his torso until he could feel his fingers graze over the sensitive skin where his leg met his hip, the ache between his legs turned into a needy hunger as Oikawa slid a thigh between his own, grinding up against Iwaizumi’s hip bone.<br/>
<br/>
His lips were almost feather-light, never resting too long in one place until they were just pressed open and wet against Hajime’s cheek, whining and gasping in time with the rolls of his hips like a broken record.<br/>
<br/>
Iwaizumi’s hands grasped his waist like a brand, feeling the smooth skin and lean muscle beneath his fingertips -- everything around him stained in shades of Tooru. The sweet smell of his shampoo still lingered in the air as Iwaizumi buried his face in Oikawa’s shoulder with a stuttered moan, feeling the tips of his ears flush red under his partner’s attentive gaze.<br/>
<br/>
“You have to be quiet, Hajime,” Oikawa hummed, voice barely above a whisper as his breath brushed the shell of his ear. “We don’t want to get complaints, do we?” That tone of voice was anything but sincere, a shiver coursing down Hajime’s spine as he pulled back just far enough to see Oikawa put an index finger to his lips; a quiet<em> shush</em> lost to the steady flow of the shower. Iwaizumi just nodded enthusiastically, voice too broken to respond.<br/>
<br/>
Oikawa chuckled, laughter light and airy, soft and high like the ringing of a bell as his hands coursed over Hajime light and smoother than the water that streamed down over them both.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>A silence fell over them, broken only by the smattering of water from the shower and their own laboured breaths, Tooru’s cheek pillowed on Iwaizumi’s calf as the man himself braced both arms on the shower wall, weak at the knees.</p><p>Tooru’s eyes were rimmed red, lips flushed bright pink, tongue barely visible as it pressed out against his lower lip, licking over the raw  skin as he breathed deeply. His legs were sprawled out in front of him, one hand limp at his side as the other strummed lightly on Iwaizumi’s leg, keeping himself upright. </p><p>“Fucking hell,” Hajime sighed, sinking to his knees aside Tooru, cupping his face in one hand and smiling dopely at his blissed out expression. </p><p>“That was hot,” Oikawa replied with a smile, letting Iwaizumi cup water in his hands and wash off his face. “God, I need a nap now.”</p><p>Iwaizumi laughed good-humouredly. “Who’s the old man now?”</p><p>A placid slap narrowly missed him as Oikawa lolled forward into Iwaizumi’s arms, head pillowed on the junction between his neck and shoulder that was now blossoming a fresh rose-red with the bruises speckled there. “Shut up. Let’s go to bed, your dick’s gonna shrivel up.”</p><p>“So will your face, bastard,” Iwaizumi replied, flicking water from his fingers onto Oikawa’s face as he turned off the shower and helped his partner to his feet.<br/>
<br/>
***</p><p>Once fully robed up, Iwaizumi tugged lightly on their joint hands, feeling resistance as he moved for the door and turned around to see Oikawa stood firm, a light blush dusting his cheeks -- flushed a deeper pink than he had been mere moments before.</p><p>“I want Iwa-chan to carry me,” he murmured with a pout, swinging their linked arms like the boughs of a tree caught in a light breeze.</p><p>“Well <em>Iwa-chan’s </em> legs are about ready to give out, so tough luck,” Iwaizumi parroted in his tone, left knee trembling and nearly falling out from under him as if to prove his point.</p><p>Oikawa appeared unperturbed, bringing Hajime's hand to his lips to press feather-light kisses to his knuckles. “<em>Please? </em>”</p><p>“Acting cute isn’t going to get you everywhere, Tooru,” Iwaizumi shook his head, exasperated though with the makings of a laugh in his voice.</p><p>“Right now I’ll settle for it getting me to our bed,” Oikawa replied with a coy smile.<br/>
<br/>
“... Fine. Hold on tight. And if I drop you don’t say I didn’t warn you.”</p><p>They crossed the great many metres between the bathroom and their bed without incidence, Oikawa sinking down into the plush satin sheets as soon as he was set down. Their silence was broken almost immediately by a hearty moan from the room bordering their own, followed by the rattle of a headboard crying out under the voracious treatment. </p><p>“Ew,” Oikawa’s nose wrinkled, expression turning sheepish as Iwaizumi shot him a look. <em> Hypocrite. </em> “What?!” Oikawa protested. “I just hope it’s not one of our lot!”</p><p>“Gross, I don’t want to think about that!” Iwaizumi exclaimed, snatching the TV remote up and blasting the volume to drown them out, not caring to see what channel it was turned to. </p><p>A relative peace fell over them, Oikawa sat between Iwaizumi’s legs as he perched on the edge of the bed and towelled off his hair, craning into his touch as his fingertips massaged his scalp.<br/>
Despite himself he felt a satisfied groan stumble out over his lips, flushing bright red as Iwaizumi halted his soothing circular motions at the sound.</p><p>“What was <em> that?</em>” He asked lightly, running his bare fingers through Oikawa’s hair to groom it back into pride of place.</p><p>Oikawa groaned again, this time one of embarrassment as he buried his flushed face into Iwaizumi’s thigh. “Your hands are magic.”</p><p>Hajime laughed slyly, one of said magic hands slipping to hold Oikawa gently by the throat, thumb pressed over his racing pulse as he angled his face up towards him. “Of course they're magic, I can shut up the great Oikawa Tooru with just two fingers.”</p><p>Once more that deep rumbling laugh reverberated from his chest as he pressed his index and middle finger up Oikawa’s chin and slipped them into his mouth by the barest of millimetres. Oikawa didn’t have it left in him to feel shame as his tongue flicked out to coil about his fingertips, a small whine escaping his already raw throat as they were withdrawn slowly.</p><p>“Point taken.”</p><p>Another ragged moan, half way to becoming a squeal, erupted from the opposing room and broke through the heavy silence that fell over them.</p><p>Oikawa raised an eyebrow. “If you can’t beat them…”</p><p>“Are you kidding me?” Iwaizumi chuckled, falling flat on his back against the sheets, robe falling loose about him, revealing the vast expanse of his built chest and the smattering of bruises that traced the line of his collarbone. “I’m out for the night, babe.”</p><p>“What can I say?” Oikawa began, pulling himself up onto the bed to sit astride Iwaizumi’s waist, for no other reason that it was most definitely the most comfortable seat in the house. “I’m a virile young man.”</p><p>Iwaizumi laughed again, the vibrations of it tickling the sides of Oikawa’s bare thighs.“Oh, I am <em> well aware.</em>”</p><p>“Could I trouble you for a kiss?” He hummed instead, hovering a hand over Hajime’s sternum to feel the heat of his skin as his chest rose and fell beneath his palm.</p><p>“Hmm, I think you’re gonna have to come down here and get it,” Iwaizumi teased, hands pushing past Oikawa’s robe to hold him by the waist. Oikawa obliged with ease. </p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>“I love you, you know,” Oikawa said once they’d turned in for the night -- their neighbours thankfully having fallen silent for the evening. He’d tucked himself up against Iwaizumi’s side, finding security in the slow ebb and flow of his breathing as he tried to finish the book he’d swore he’d be done with on their last vacation. </p><p>“I love you too,” Iwaizumi replied.<br/>
<br/>
The phrase had changed over the course of their relationship. At the start it had always been this precious resource that would run barren if they said it too much, then it had become habit, almost imperceptible in the usual day to day bustle. Like a kiss on the cheek before one of them left for work, or measuring out enough pasta for two even when one was home alone.<br/>
Oikawa didn’t mind if it didn’t make his heart flutter the same way, this was better, being so interwoven in his partners life that it was hard to tell where he ended and Hajime began, where your schedules weren’t centred around each other out of necessity or obsession but merely the warm comfort of being in the presence of someone you love. </p><p>Still, it was nice to speak it aloud, whenever he could, how ever he could. “I don’t say it enough, I really do love you.”</p><p>“You don’t have to say it, I already know.”</p><p>“But I want to.”</p><p>Hajime paused, not in fear or apprehension but perhaps just brief consideration before setting his book down on the bedside table and rolling over to face his boyfriend. </p><p>“Then say it, I’m all yours.”</p><p>Even now Oikawa found himself flushing at the intensity of Iwaizumi’s gaze. “I love you more than volleyball.”</p><p>A great big bark of laughter erupted from Iwaizumi’s mouth, smothered quickly by Oikawa’s hands, fingertips cold against the comforting heat of his boyfriend’s lips. </p><p>“Iwa-chan!!”</p><p>“You’re lying,” he wheezed at last, rolling over onto his back; his broad, bare chest looking all too much like an open invitation for Tooru. “Volleyball’s your true love, I’m just your mistress.”</p><p>“You are not!” Oikawa pouted, crossing his arms as best as he could pressed against Iwaizumi’s side. “... Besides, you love volleyball too, we’re a thruple.”</p><p>Iwaizumi laughed again, legs tangling with Oikawa’s own beneath the sheets. Tooru was only half joking, he was too used to volleyball being used against him in arguments. <em> ‘Volleyball or me, you have to choose!!’ </em>As it turns out most people fell utterly short in comparison, but not his ace. Perhaps he was selfish, not changing himself for his previous partners, perhaps they were selfish for asking him to abandon something that brought him such joy, what he considered his metaphorical North Star, a guiding light that had never led him astray so long as he followed it devotedly. </p><p>Maybe, Oikawa thought with a small chuckle, they were all just happy, messy accidents that lead him into Hajime’s arms — it was nice to believe for a moment that fate could be so intricately designed, and not based on the clumsy fumblings of humans, who far too often stumbled rather than strode into their own paradise. </p><p>Volleyball was his world, but Iwaizumi made that world worth living in. </p><p>In another timeline perhaps he’s utterly consumed by the sport, a challenger his current self could never hope to topple but one that found himself utterly void of home comforts. What a lonely existence that would be, a solitary life with no state of companionship or the simple act of coming home to someone who loves you.<br/>
Truly, Oikawa rarely felt he made the right decisions, but with Iwaizumi sleeping silently less than an arms length away, he was certain he’d made the right one here.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>y'all gonna have to let me know if this chapter needs like a fuckin "cw: mention of penis" at the start because i for certain don't know lmao. as always tysm for all your comments and kudos!!<br/>and coming next update... beach volleyball, babey!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>at long last... we've reached this fic's beach episode lmao</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The room was hot but not unpleasantly so, like a terrarium placed in sunlight. A summer heat that straddled the line of soothing and unbearable -- though Oikawa was swaying towards the latter. <br/>He and Iwaizumi didn’t often sleep tangled up together but, much to Oikawa’s dismay, his boyfriend was a migratory sleeper. No matter where he started off, Iwaizumi always woke up to find himself coiled up around whatever he’d latched himself onto during the night which, more often than not, was his early bird boyfriend who found himself loath to wake up his own personal, <em> sweaty </em> sleeping beauty. </p><p>Today, Tooru let himself endure it. There was a permanent hatchet mark in Hajime’s brow now, Oikawa wasn’t quite sure when it had stuck but he couldn’t help but feel a little pang of guilt that he was probably the main contributor to those signature disapproving frowns. Ever so lightly, he brushed his fingers across the crease, as though miming smoothing it out. Hajime’s brow twitched under his touch, throat releasing a small content rumble before he settled lying on his back. </p><p>Oikawa found himself smitten with the small moles that kissed his jawline, the curve of his cheek and even splattered up over his eyelids and spread themselves sparsely on his forehead, defined even against the deep tan Iwaizumi had worked up in spite of their self-imposed house arrest. </p><p><em> Seriously, </em> Oikawa thought, pushing his fingers through Iwaizumi’s thick hair and watching it spring back to pride of place, <em> how is this man even real? </em></p><p>Just then Iwaizumi stirred, yawning and stretching as Oikawa dived out of the danger zone. Right, his awful morning breath was also very, <em> very </em> real too.</p><p>“Morning, angel,” Iwaizumi mumbled, eyes bleary as he wrapped an arm about Oikawa’s shoulders to pull him back down beside himself.</p><p>“Pet names?” Oikawa replied, turning himself onto his back and pushing the covers down to air out the skin to skin sweat he’d been working up. “You’re feeling sweet this morning.”</p><p>“Eh, I’m full of surprises,” he teased, half placing Oikawa in an accidental headlock as he rubbed at his eyes. “Speaking of which, you don’t have any more to spring on me this vacation, right? I’m not sure my old heart can take it.”</p><p>Oikawa practically buzzed but toned down his excitement and apprehension. “Nope, none at all,” he lied through his teeth. </p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>“Iwaizumi-san! Iwaizumi-saaan!!” Kindaichi yelled, rising in pitch as he nearly barrelled head first into his senior, just falling short of tugging at his trouser leg like an overexcited puppy as he visibly vibrated in anticipation. Strangely, Kyoutani was the one who fell in line behind him, the same eager sheen in his eyes as he stared intently onward -- Iwaizumi wasn’t quite sure when this friendship had begun but it was nice to see Kyoutani looking at his juniors as friends rather than chew toys. </p><p>“What’s up?” He asked, nodding to Oikawa as he patted him on the shoulder and left to procure their breakfast.</p><p>“Hanamaki-san says we’re taking a road trip!” Kindaichi replied. <em> Seriously? </em> He was <em> this </em> excited for <em> more travelling, </em> he’d just gotten home!</p><p>“Did he now?” Iwaizumi drawled, eyeing Hanamaki over his shoulder as he sipped on his iced tea innocently, or at least some feigned approximation of innocence from a man who’s resting face made him look like the cat who got the cream. </p><p>“Not a road trip, you vagrant,” Makki spoke up. “If we take a twenty minute walk westwards there’s part of the beach that’s cut off from the rest, a little more secluded, perfect for a <em> special occasion,</em>” he explained, not missing the way Iwaizumi flushed red at the insinuation. </p><p>“A twenty minute walk?! You can carry my stuff then,” Oikawa cut in, setting his tray down aside the couple and thankfully cutting the tense silence that had fallen over them.</p><p>“Oikawa, you are literally a professional sportsman,” Matsukawa pointed out.</p><p>“I’m on vacation, I don’t have to exert myself!”</p><p>Iwaizumi snorted with laughter, snatching an apple from the tray and joining his friends at the table. “And here I thought you’d be sprinting there, carrying all our bags at once as some kind of resistance training. It’s nice to see you listening to your doctor for once.”</p><p>“He kept me on bed rest, Iwa-chan, <em> bed rest. </em> For a <em> week</em>. I’d injured my knee, not my <em> spine</em>, I’ll kick his ass next time I see him,” Oikawa huffed, snarfing down his cereal. </p><p>“He’ll injure the other knee if you’re not careful.” Oikawa ignored him in favour of sticking out his tongue and continuing to shovel down his food like a starved man. </p><p>“I’d like to see him try,” he spluttered through a great chug of milk, a quarter of his mouthful splattering out across the table. </p><p>“You got that on your forehead, babe, how did you even manage that? You’re a hot mess,” Iwaizumi said, shaking his head fondly as he retrieved his own napkin and dabbed down Oikawa’s face to a series of ‘<em>aww</em>’s and coos from his former teammates. <br/>“Knock it off,” he snarled playfully, silencing a few of the younger ones and eliciting more cackling laughter from his fellow third years. </p><p>“So <em> are </em> we going to the beach today, Iwaizumi-san?” Kindaichi asked, leaning across the gap between their tables to be heard over the thrum of the lobby, Akira hanging on to the shoulder of his jacket lest he tumble backwards off his seat.</p><p>“I don’t know why you’re lookin’ at me, I’m not your keeper,” Iwaizumi answered, continuing to eat contentedly for a moment or two before noticing the silence that had fallen over his merry crew. “Seriously?” He said, noting the wide, expectant gazes on the eyes of all who stared his way, even Kyoutani looked more<em> puppy </em> than <em> mad dog. </em> “Yes! Fine, we’ll go! We’ll all hold hands on the way there too, you damn codependents!”</p><p>There was a brief but loud cheer as they punched the air in validation and Iwaizumi struggled to hide his soft smile at these <em> complete dumbasses. His </em>complete dumbasses.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>Iwaizumi drew the line carrying Oikawa<em> bridal style </em> down the slight rocky incline they'd found to be the entrance to the beach, though he did take his bags, making the journey a little easier — in addition to taking his hand to help him hop down from the last stone, if only from force of habit.</p><p>“So captain, where are we settling?” Makki asked, scanning the expanse of open beach to find it as deserted as promised.</p><p>“Well I think-” Oikawa began.</p><p>“Not you. Other captain.”</p><p>Iwaizumi sighed, shaking his head and patting Oikawa on the back comfortingly. “Watari is the one with the parasol, let him decide.”</p><p>In the end their former libero chose a spot close to the shoreline, much to Kyoutani and Kindaichi’s delight, who’d stripped down into their swim trunks and disappeared into the waves as soon as their seniors’ backs were turned. The others seemed pretty happy to breathe in the salty ocean breeze, either sheltering from the harsh sunlight ahead or bask in its warmth. <br/>Hanamaki was flushed and freckled within minutes, too busy spritzing down his boyfriend with sunscreen to worry about himself. Much to Makki’s dismay, Oikawa trailed behind him, holding up a towel in an attempt to shield him from sunburn, disrupting the sand beneath them that then stuck to Mattsun’s tacky skin. </p><p>“Will you stand still?” Iwaizumi grumbled, following in tow of their movements, attempting to rub sunscreen onto Oikawa’s shoulders.</p><p>“Tell Makki!” Oikawa exclaimed, jumping to the side suddenly as Takahiro attempted to elude his shade, making a blob of sunscreen splatter down Iwaizumi’s leg.</p><p>“Makki’s not going to be the one to lotion you up when you burn,” Iwaizumi huffed, resorting to just slapping handfuls of cream on whatever bits of Oikawa’s bare skin came within arms length.</p><p>“I certainly hope he won't be,” Matsukawa joked, seemingly unperturbed as he continued to read his sports magazine from behind those gaudy, floral shades. Pausing only to offer his neck, triceps, and other hard to reach areas to his boyfriend as he continued to massage the sunscreen into his skin.</p><p>“Here,” Iwaizumi began, coiling one arm about Tooru’s midsection and holding him firm against his chest as he spoke into his ear. “Put your sunscreen on and I’ll set up the volleyball net.”</p><p>“Whoa, easy with that dirty talk, Iwaizumi, there are kids about,” Makki laughed, watching Oikawa flush red at the remark.</p><p>“Okay,” he said quietly, crossing his arms over Iwaizumi’s forearm, loosening his grip to which Hajime obliged, certain he wasn’t going to take off. </p><p>“Okay?” Iwaizumi echoed, surprised.</p><p>“I’ll do whatever you want, I want to play volleyball with you,” Tooru reaffirmed, gaze still lowered, cheeks flushed and too utterly adorable to handle. It left Hajime speechless in fact, arms slack as Tooru slipped from his grasp and sat down obediently on one of their beach chairs, leaning back on his palms as he kicked out his legs in front of him.</p><p>“Quit sitting pretty, do your arms whilst I get your legs,” Iwaizumi said good-humouredly, tossing the sunscreen bottle at Tooru’s chest and watching him juggle in comically before he could secure a grip on it. </p><p>Oikawa hummed, lathering up one arm and pressing the excess up the back of his neck. “Did you want me to get your back?”</p><p>“Yeah just-” Iwaizumi grunted, hiking up Oikawa’s heel on his shoulder to massage the sunscreen up the backs on his thighs. “Gimme a second.”</p><p>“Huh,” Oikawa exhaled a laugh, voice distant as he spoke. “This view is beautiful.”</p><p>He wasn’t wrong. Beyond the craggy exterior, the expanse of velvet sand itself opened up onto the same beautiful cyan sea as the public beaches, the promise of small outcroppings of rocks creeping just beneath the clear waters, flush with small fish. From the shoreline Iwaizumi could see the gulls stalking them overhead, hoping to scout out their next meal — perturbed only by the rowdy crashing of waves as Kyoutani dashed ashore for mere moments, scooping Yahaba up beneath the knees and tossing him into the shallows to hoots of laughter from the rest of the team. </p><p>“Yeah,” Iwaizumi said, a content sigh breaking through his words. “I suppose you’re rig- oh,” he cut himself off, finding Oikawa’s eyes trained on him, breaking into airy bouts of laughter as Hajime finally caught on. “Yeah, yeah laugh it up, you’re a real Casanova.”</p><p>“You’re sooo in love with me,” he teased, locking his ankles behind Iwaizumi’s back as he grew hot under the scrutiny. </p><p>“Against my better judgement… yeah, I am,” Hajime replied softly, sliding Tooru into his arms and pillowing his forehead on his sternum. “So…” he continued, voice muffled against the fabric of Oikawa’s loose fitting vest, “was that <em> ‘whatever I want’ </em> deal you mentioned earlier a one time thing or can I cash in on that later?”</p><p>“Behave.” Tooru warned, flicking the tip of Hajime’s already reddened ears. </p><p>“Don’t wanna,” he mumbled, the grip about his waist tightening and drawing him in impossibly close.</p><p>Oikawa shook his head at his partner's antics, he knew he himself could be clingy at times but, when it suited him, Iwaizumi could stick to him like syrup. “Behave <em> now </em> and you can take your time with me <em> later.</em>”</p><p>“Pinky swear.”</p><p>“You are such a child,” Oikawa laughed, smacking away the hand that Iwaizumi held his way, only to be met by a sullen pout from its owner. “Fine! Okay, I <em> pinky swear </em>you can fuck me six ways from Sunday when we get back to the hotel.”</p><p>Hajime’s heart felt warm, full. In the same way a meal satiated hunger, Tooru filled that space in his heart that longed for companionship. </p><p>They were so complimentary their partnership felt like something from myth, two halves of one whole being, separate but intricately interwoven. The love he felt for Tooru was all-consuming and constant yet peaceful in its presence, a whispered <em> ‘I love you’ </em> in the darkest hours of the night.</p><p>Their love languages were different, Iwaizumi sometimes felt guilty for not being one for giant sweeping gestures but it worked. There was indescribable affection in every touch, every shared lunch, every ‘<em>call me when you get there'</em>, every absence and every presence. They’d always loved one another. And they always would. </p><p>“Hey, Oikawa,” Mattsun called, cutting into their private moment, the telltale sound of rubber hitting skin as he slapped both splayed palms over the volleyball in his hands. “You wanna relive your devastating loss against me from earlier in the season or are you and your boy toy sitting this one out?”</p><p>“You wish!” Oikawa replied, leaping to his feet only to be caught once more by an arm about his midsection. </p><p>“One game, then you actually do some of that rest and relaxation that we came on his vacation to do,” Iwaizumi said.</p><p>“Yes, <em> coach,</em>” Oikawa drawled, slipping out of his grip and joining Matsukawa on the court whilst Hanamaki and Iwaizumi finished securing the net in place. </p><p>“You guys don’t stand a chance you know? You’re gonna be picking sand out of your asscrack for weeks after we’re done kicking your butts,” Makki said, flinging his flip flops off to one side.</p><p>“Makki… you’re the only one of us who isn’t a professional volleyball player,” Oikawa replied gingerly, arms held overhead as he leant over to one side and stretched out his oblique muscles.</p><p>“True, but I still have the upper hand here,” he paused, spinning on his heel with a flourish and letting his floral shirt slide down off his shoulders, showing off the name of the back of his tank top jersey.</p><p><em> Beach Babes Shoreside Volleyball League. </em> </p><p>“Holy shit, you play beach volleyball, Hanamaki?!” Iwaizumi exclaimed, jaw dropping in surprise.</p><p>“Hell yeah I do!” Makki grinned, tossing his shirt off to one side and leaving only his bubblegum blue jersey on display; with complimentary pink trunks that, fittingly, straddled the line of manoeuvrability versus decency. </p><p>“You seriously think I’d challenge <em> the two of you </em> to a match without an ace up my sleeve?” Matsukawa taunted, wrapping an arm about Makki’s shoulders and pressing a kiss down atop his hair. </p><p>“Here, you serve first, Oikawa,” Makki added, tossing Oikawa the ball before retreating back to the centre line to meet Mattsun in a quick low-five. “We’re feeling lucky.”</p><p>“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa said, voice low, a glisten set firmly in his sharp eyes that Iwaizumi hadn’t seen in weeks, the one that appeared when Oikawa <em> yearned </em> for a win until his stomach simply churned with the force of his longing. </p><p>“Yeah, I know,” he replied, already sensing the words on Tooru’s lips as he paced back for his run up. The built up energy of his time off the court practically streamed off his skin like steam, he was buzzing with an electrical charge that was about to blow for better or worse. So Iwaizumi didn’t need telling twice, the words already ingrained in his brain. </p><p>
  <em> “Cover your head.” </em>
</p><p>It was a nasty serve, in all the wrong ways unfortunately as it sailed out of bounds, just narrowly avoiding Makki who dove out of its path of destruction and witnessed the tsunami of sand it cast up in its wake. </p><p>“Christ, Oikawa, are you trying to put us in hospital?!”</p><p>Iwaizumi just scoffed, turning to his partner. “And here I thought you wouldn’t hold back.”</p><p>“I didn’t!” Oikawa replied, insulted, massaging the raw red palm of his hand. </p><p>“If you’d hit it full pelt we’d be excavating Hanamaki out of the ground like an archaeological dig,” his gaze was set firm on Oikawa, an unspoken permission to let loose. That anger at being forced from the court, having his last game stolen from him at the final hurdle, that feeling of frustration that coursed through his veins like hot fire. Now it was safe. Now he could let it all out.</p><p>“And I’m meant to be encouraging that?!” Hanamaki piped up, shakily getting onto his feet and straightening his own obnoxious shades.</p><p>Oikawa didn’t rise to the remark, taking the spare ball from the sideline and pointing it in Makki’s direction in dead silence. Any Seijoh team member knew a silent Tooru was indefinitely more dangerous than a silver-tongued one. </p><p>Once more, Hanamaki favoured leaping out of the way of Oikawa’s serve that fortunately landed just within bounds this time, much to their rival pair’s dismay. </p><p>“We’ll pick the next one up!” Mattsun said firmly, nodding to Hanamaki as he steeled his nerves. </p><p>Again, Oikawa was silent. They were right, Oikawa couldn’t sustain those killer serves for long — not yet — and on the third Makki finally caught it square on his forearms, a sickening slap cracking through the air at the connection. </p><p>Iwaizumi called for a toss, noting the awkward spin Oikawa put on the ball as he skidded on the uneven ground; Hajime tried to compensate, leaping up, only to feel like he was fighting gravity, soles of his feet pushing down into the sand before his jump began. He dinked the ball over the net by the minutest of millimeters and Matsukawa lobbed it overhead with an underhand receive, Makki’s palm catching the ball just as it arched back down to earth, slamming it down between an equally slack jawed Oikawa and Iwaizumi.</p><p>“Damn, you pros ain’t all that, huh?” Makki jeered, smacking the sand off his hands.</p><p>Iwaizumi picked himself up from the ground, dusting the sand from his knees. “We’re just warming up.”</p><p>“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa spoke up, not even turning to face Hajime. His eyes instead trained ahead of him, body lowered and legs primed to spring forward like a predatory animal. “Just get the ball up in the air, I’ll adjust.”</p><p>True, Makki had the advantage on this court, he was picking up for Matsukawa where he could but this was a marathon not a sprint, he couldn’t cover for his partner forever and when he slipped-</p><p>“Iwa-chan!” Hajime could tell just by the angle of his body where this toss was intended for, Makki had strayed too far from his back left corner in order to support his partner, leaving his flank wide open for their opposition’s attack. The spike was easy, Oikawa’s sets always made it so, and just as they predicted Makki nearly went heels over head reeling back to try and receive it. </p><p>“Aw, Makki,” Oikawa said jovially, catching Iwaizumi in a near-painful high five as they celebrated their small win. “You did think we’d just <em> let </em>you win, did you?”</p><p>Hanamaki hissed a curse out the side of his mouth, taking Matsukawa’s outstretched hand and pulling himself to his feet. “We haven’t lost yet, jerk!”</p><p>“You haven’t won either!” Iwaizumi retorted, tossing the ball back to Oikawa for his serve, revelling in how his friend’s face paled as that expression of pure bliss washed over Oikawa’s features — he supposed they’d hoped Oikawa’s stamina would have waned over his time off. Iwaizumi scoffed at the notion, watching the serve go up and the almost catlike coil of Oikawa’s form as he kicked off the sand, as exquisite as ever.<em> No such luck. </em></p><p> </p><p>They all were dripping with sweat by the end of the first set — or what they assumed to be the first set, they hadn’t exactly been keeping score religiously but Oikawa insisted they were winning and Matsukawa and Hanamaki didn’t have the breath to argue. <br/>Both pairs were barely even playing volleyball anymore, merely dinking the ball over the net wherever they could. Iwaizumi had never really considered how much playing under direct sunlight changed the sport but no way was he going to be the first to throw in the towel, even when the ocean looked<em> that </em>cool and inviting. </p><p>He was snapped out of his thoughts as a shadow blotted out that burning heat, Kindaichi’s arms leering over the net and smacking the ball down to the ground, a shit-eating grin that reminded Iwaizumi all too much of his <em> other </em> seniors who had called him in for reinforcements.</p><p>“Hey, this is against regulations!” Iwaizumi fumed, negating serving in favour of just pitching the ball one-handed across the net only for Watari to dive in and pick it up from the end line.</p><p>“Tell that to the umpire,” Makki cackled, gesturing to the non-existent chair as he ruffled Watari’s short-cropped hair to free it from sand.</p><p>Now the odds had switched so wildly out of their favour Iwaizumi figured it’d only be natural to back down, but none of that fierceness had left Oikawa’s eyes and for a moment Iwaizumi stopped wavering:<em> they were going to win this. </em></p><p> </p><p>They didn’t, of course, much to Makki and Mattsun’s glee. Their cries of jubilation echoing down the shoreline from their position atop their juniors’ shoulders. Cheats.</p><p>“Hey, Issei, what was it that Iwaizumi said earlier?” Makki yelled over the cheers of their teammates.</p><p>“Oh yeah, <em> the bet,</em>” Mattsun caught on quickly, tapping the arms beneath them, signalling to set them down. “What <em> did </em> he say? In the first set, do you remember, Iwaizumi?”<br/><br/>“I said a lot of things,” Iwaizumi grumbled, legs drawn into his chest as he and Oikawa sheltered from both the sun and shame beneath the parasol. </p><p>“I think it was something about the <em> losers </em> getting dunked in the ocean,” Oikawa answered from his side, his voice quiet but clearly spoken through a sly smile. His suspicions were confirmed as he turned to see that wolfish smirk curling at the corners of his boyfriend’s mouth.</p><p>“Don’t even think about it!” Iwaizumi snapped, jumping to his feet. Unfortunately, too slowly for Oikawa who scooped him up into his arms with considerable effort though seemingly without struggle once he was secure in a bridal carry. <br/>“Shittykawa, don’t you dare!” Iwaizumi warned, watching the waves come closer and closer as Tooru paddled out into the shallows.</p><p>“Rules are rules, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa sighed, a little too much humour in his voice as he slapped a big exaggerated pout onto his feigned downtrodden face.</p><p>“You are such an assh-” his words were cut short as Oikawa dropped him abruptly and sea water rushed over his face, though they were scarcely out deep enough for his shoulders to be covered when sitting upright.</p><p>“You are<em> dead</em>.” Iwaizumi stated, enunciating each word with intent.</p><p>“Oh shit-” Oikawa giggled, shrieking a little in the midst of his hasty retreat as Iwaizumi snagged the back of his vest top, reeled him back in like a fish on a hook and tossed him over his shoulder in a fireman’s lift as Oikawa pleaded his case. “No, no, babe, wait! I’m sorry,” he wheezed through choked bouts of laughter, clawing onto Iwaizumi’s clothes like a kitten reluctant to be bathed as Iwaizumi waded out into deeper water.</p><p>“Oh my god, Iwa-chan, don’t! Seriously! My pocket-” but his cries fell on deaf ears as Iwaizumi suddenly dropped backwards, dunking the both of them in one fell swoop.</p><p>Salt water flushed up his nasal passages and Hajime came to the surface coughing and hacking the foul fluid from his throat as he righted himself. <em> Totally worth it, </em> he thought, as Oikawa’s bedraggled form crested the water. Though that feeling of vindication soon swept into concern as Oikawa sat up on one knee and grimaced. </p><p>“Hey, are you okay?! Is it your knee? Do you want me to-“ his rambling was cut short as Oikawa waved a hand as though swatting away his worries. </p><p>“I’m fine, Hajime, I just need you to…” he paused, bringing the other hand that had been steadying him out of the shallow waters. “Marry me?”</p><p>It took a moment for Iwaizumi to even register the request, he was too busy studying the object Oikawa had drawn out from the water: small, black, and oddly slimy for such a short time in the water. Then the material finally registered as <em> velvet </em> and the object became distinguishable as a <em> box </em> and Iwaizumi felt himself grow weak-kneed as Oikawa’s words finally settled in his ears.</p><p>“What? No!” He snapped on reflex. <em> No</em>, this was <em> not </em> how this was meant to happen.</p><p>Oikawa’s smouldering confidence waned. “No?”</p><p>“I mean,” Iwaizumi patted his pockets feverishly, catching an eye of his traitorous beach bag and its contents on the shore, from where his teammates watched the scene unfold with similar expressions of confuddlement as Iwaizumi himself. Lacking his own ring by mere metres, Hajime settled on dropping down on one knee also, grasping both Oikawa’s forearms in his hands with an urgent vigour. “Marry <em> me</em>?”</p><p>“I asked first! I’m the one with the ring here,” Oikawa argued, fiddling with his own box like a raccoon cracking open clams, fingers slipping over the sodden material until he finally pulled it open at the hinge, revealing the simple band inside.</p><p>“And I’ve been planning this for months, say yes, asshole!” Both became vaguely aware of one of their party asking if all proposals were usually this aggressive but they were too caught up in their competitive streak to care. </p><p>“Okay, why don’t we both say yes on three?” Oikawa bargained, waiting for a reluctant nod from Iwaizumi. “One…” he began.</p><p>“Two…” Hajime followed.</p><p>“Three!” Oikawa finished. Dead silence. “Now I’m just disappointed in both of us.” His words were harsh but there was no heat to them and he was wearing a smile that Iwaizumi knew mirrored his own toothy grin.</p><p>They sat there at a stalemate for a moment more, the gentle lull of the waves lapping over them as small shallow dwelling fish brushed past their ankles, holding onto the moment of relative silence dearly.</p><p>“Fine!” Oikawa broke at last, voice lacking the sharpness of his usual annoyance, just frustratedly endeared by his partner’s stubborn nature. “But we get my last name!”</p><p>“Absolutely not,” Iwaizumi laughed, watching happy tears well up over Tooru’s eyes and electing not to comment on it, depriving himself of that adorable blush Oikawa worked up when he was embarrassed in favour of humouring his dignity. “Oikawa Hajime sounds ridiculous.”</p><p>“And Iwaizumi Tooru? That-” just like that Iwaizumi’s promise to himself was broken as, upon hearing the sound of it on his tongue, a heavy blush blossomed beneath Tooru’s cheeks.</p><p>“You know your managers would kill you if either of you tried to change your names!” Mattsun called from the beach, signalling the others to finally let out their cheers of congratulations, startling the gulls which took off in a great whirlwind of feathers. Well... they certainly weren’t doves, but they’d do in a pinch. </p><p>In that moment Iwaizumi didn’t have eyes for anything other than Tooru, pulling him closer through the water until he could wrap his legs about Hajime’s midsection and catch his lips in a deep, salt-stained kiss.</p><p>“I love you,” Iwaizumi mumbled, pressing a kiss to the base of Oikawa’s neck as he buried his face there.</p><p>“I sure hope you do after a kiss like that,” Oikawa teased, hands untangling themselves from Iwaizumi’s sodden t-shirt to cup his partner’s face. “I love you too,” he said, a perfectly content smile curling lazily at the corners of his lips.</p><p>“So… we should call our parents before Makki and Matsukawa have the chance right?” Iwaizumi pointed out with an amused grin.</p><p>“Oh yes, definitely,” Oikawa laughed, taking Iwaizumi’s hand to help each other to their feet and haul ass back to their beach bags to scramble for their phones.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>Unsurprisingly, neither of their parents had been too shocked by the news, in fact they were almost more surprised it had taken this long for either of them to propose… though they’d left out the exact details of their less than perfect proposal. Mei had also texted them saying <em> ‘pics or it didn’t happen’ </em> which was probably as close as they were going to get to a seal of approval from her.</p><p><em> Yet, </em> Iwaizumi thought, watching Oikawa’s alcohol flushed face beaming back at his parents over a video call once they’d retreated to their hotel room for the evening, <em> maybe everyone else's expectation of perfection could get fucked. </em> He was <em> marrying Oikawa Tooru</em>, that was perfect enough for him.</p><p>And as Tooru turned to face him, arm curling around his shoulders to pull him further into frame and place a kiss on his temple, he didn’t dare ask for anything more in this moment.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>THE END... jk, you know ya boy's got an epilogue written too 😘<br/>again tysm for all your comments and kudos, they really do make my day ~</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>yes this chapter is just self-indulgent iwaoi + puppies content</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Epilogue: Iwaizumi and Oikawa Get a Dog</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>A few weeks into marital bliss and there was already a rift in the joint Oikawa and Iwaizumi household.<br/>
<br/>
They were sat on the floor of their living room; though their new apartment was basically one big open room so it would better be named as the area that you could best see the TV from. Either way, there were, TV just background noise as Oikawa fiddled with the shag rug beneath his fingers, only vaguely interested in entertaining their guests -- Matsukawa, who was perched on the edge of their slate grey sofa, with Hanamaki at his feet leaning back against his leg.</p><p>“Kuma,” Iwaizumi stated again with finality.</p><p>“We’re not naming our child that,” Oikawa replied with equal surety. “I like Tousei.”</p><p>“If you two keep calling him different things he’s not going to listen to either of you,” Makki interrupted, strumming his fingers on the floor and watching the little black and tan puppy pounce after them.</p><p>They’d finally caved and gotten a dog; a little black and tan Shiba Inu that was their greatest pride and joy and also, currently, nameless. It hadn’t been much of a <em> caving </em> in actuality, one of their cousin’s dogs had had puppies and seeing Hajime swarmed by a mass of little black and red bodies was enough to make anyone’s heart melt, even Oikawa’s. <em> Especially </em>Oikawa’s. </p><p>“What do you suggest then?” Oikawa sighed, leaning back on his palms, glasses balanced on the bridge of his nose in a way that complimented his current ‘disapproving parent’ look nicely.<br/>
<br/>
“Hiro?” Hanamaki offered with a grin. </p><p>“You’re officially off the naming committee.”</p><p>“Kenzo,” Iwaizumi piped up again.</p><p>Oikawa shut him down just as quick and mercilessly as before. “We’re not calling him Kenzo either!”</p><p>“What about… Maruki?” Matsukawa suggested, finally throwing his hat into the ring after previously being wholly absorbed by his bag of pretzels and whatever cooking program they’d set on as white noise. </p><p>“Maru...ki?” Oikawa sounded it out slowly, looking to Iwaizumi who seemed to be mulling it over with careful consideration. </p><p>“Maruki?” Iwaizumi called softly, that fuzzy, round face cocking to attention as he spoke. “Maruki!” The puppy yapped, a shrill thing that he hadn’t quite grown into yet.</p><p>“I think we have a winner, Issei,” Makki added, taking the hand that rested on Mattsun’s knee and pressing a kiss to his fingers absentmindedly. </p><p>“What can I say, I’m a faucet of wisdom,” Mattsun drawled, evidently pleased with himself. </p><p>“Fountain.”</p><p>“Yeah, that.”</p><p>“Maruki, you’re going to be so spoiled,” Hanamaki said all of a sudden, tapping him on his fluffy butt and reeling back as the puppy snapped at his fingers, much to Iwaizumi’s delight.</p><p>“How dare you, I’m going to be a firm yet fair dog dad!” Oikawa declared, clutching flyers for local puppy classes in one hand and punching the air with the other. </p><p>“I wasn’t talking about you,” Makki chuckled, gesturing to Iwaizumi who was cooing at Maruki and gently pinching his cheeks.</p><p>“His eyes are sooo big, guys,” he stated, utterly smitten with the small pup. “Like they’re SO big,” he clarified unhelpfully. “Wait, is that a problem? Are his eyes <em> too </em> big?” He looked to the puppy that stared on vacantly, tail wagging pleasantly at the attention. Hajime leaned down, bracing himself on his elbows, to look Maruki in said saucer sized puppy eyes. “I’m not gonna let the other puppies bully you for your big eyes, Maruki.”</p><p>Maruki responded with a playful yip and attempted to bite onto Iwaizumi’s nose with those needle sharp teeth. “Okay, okay, I get it!” Hajime said, staving him off with ease, much to Maruki’s dismay. “You can handle yourself, dad won’t intervene.”</p><p>“Oh my god, I have two kids to look after now, don’t I?” Oikawa realised, arms falling slack at his sides in defeat.</p><p>“Yep, and good luck training <em> that one</em>,” Makki added, pointing to Iwaizumi as he hooked a tug toy over his little finger to make it a fair fight for their new pup.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>A few hours later, when Makki and Mattsun had long returned to their own love-nest and dinner was just a faint memory on the tip of their tongues, Oikawa and Iwaizumi found themselves sprawled out on their long couch; Iwaizumi’s head pillowed on Oikawa’s lap, Maruki a barely distinguishable bundle of inky black fur, curled into a tight ball on top of Iwaizumi’s dark sleep shirt. </p><p>Oikawa’s curled sections of Iwaizumi’s thick hair about his forefinger, raking his hand through the strands and relishing the way his partner practically purred at the sensation of being so thoroughly adored. It was just another moment of many where Tooru knew he’d do anything, <em>everything</em>, to let him know how loved he truly was.</p><p>“He’s perfect,” Iwaizumi said, voice full of glee, cutting through the familiar white noise of their apartment complex.</p><p>“He is,” Oikawa agreed, watching Maruki's little chest rise and fall with every breath, twitching every now and then as he dreamed.</p><p>“I love you,” Hajime sighed, his voice so full of love Oikawa felt light-headed at the sound.</p><p>“Are you talking to me or our puppy?” Oikawa asked playfully. Iwaizumi reeled back a hand blindly, smacking Oikawa lightly on the forehead and nearly dislodging his glasses.</p><p>“<em>You, </em> dumbass,” he replied sharply, though his tone was placid and amiable. “We’re a proper little family now,” he added, still staring down at the sleeping silhouette on his chest.</p><p>“Hajime,” Oikawa hummed, pressing a kiss down on his forehead simply because he could. “I know this is your way of sweet talking me into getting a small army of dogs but honestly that was so romantic that I’m almost swayed.”</p><p>“Only almost?” Iwaizumi added with a grin, sitting up gingerly.</p><p>Oikawa merely hummed once more in response.</p><p>“Let me put the kids to bed and I’ll see if I can do better persuading you when it’s just the two of us,” he said, words weighted with suggestion.</p><p>“Ooh, upmf-” Oikawa began, cut off as Iwaizumi pressed a kiss firmly to his lips before carrying Maruki over to his crate, the little pup utterly zonked in his arms. Oikawa took the time to appreciate the tight fit of his black tee and the way his sweatpants clung to his strong thighs, he really had married the most handsome man in the world. “This newfound dad-energy is really doing it for me, babe.”</p><p>“Gross,” Iwaizumi replied, his voice barely above a whisper as he settled Maruki down for the night.</p><p>“Aw, do you not want to play house, Iwa-chan?” Oikawa teased, giggling lightly as Iwaizumi scooped him up beneath the legs, hands planted firmly on his ass as he hiked him up securely into place.</p><p>“Right now, I just don’t want you to wake our puppy up,” Hajime replied, voice hitched as Oikawa peppered kisses down the line of his throat, teeth grazing ever so slightly against his Adam's apple.</p><p>“Hmm, then I think you’d better shut me up, <em> husband,</em>” Oikawa replied, eyes fixed on Iwaizumi’s lips as he walked them both to their bedroom. The word melted over his tongue but then again so did Hajime, his mouth warm and inviting and more intoxicating than the filthiest of Oikawa’s dreams.</p><p>As Iwaizumi lay Oikawa down against the mattress, his ankles locked about his waist.<em> I want you right where you are</em>, and Iwaizumi didn’t wish to stray. Not from this moment, this apartment, Oikawa’s life. It was a devotion they both struggled to put into words, so instead Hajime arched forward to catch Tooru’s lips in a deep, lingering kiss. Speaking without words: <em> I’m not going anywhere. </em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thank you for sticking with me for whatever this was, you have no idea how happy i am to be moving this fic into my 'finished' folder (*´꒳`*)<br/>find me on <a href="https://ccaeos.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a>!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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